Diabetes is a life-long condition that can affect both children and adults. It occurs when the hormone, insulin, is not present, or is unable to do its job properly. The body needs insulin to transport glucose, the body’s fuel, to where it is needed. Without insulin, glucose stays in the blood, instead of going to the organs. This 'high blood sugar' is how we diagnose diabetes. Over time, high blood sugar can lead to complications such as heart disease and blindness.
The Diabetes Research Centre of Victoria is primarily focused on the prevention of type 1 diabetes, commonly known as 'juvenile' or 'insulin dependent' diabetes. However, we are learning more about how different types of diabetes are related, and research into type 1 diabetes prevention may eventually have implications for the prevention or cure of these similar disorders.
Visit
our Lab or Clinical
Trials pages to find out more about what we are doing, or click
on one of the links below to learn out more about the different types
of diabetes.
'What is Diabetes' was last updated on May 24, 2007
