When you eat, some foods called carbohydrates break down into sugar. This sugar enters your bloodstream, causing your blood sugar levels to rise. When this happens, an organ called the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin helps move sugar from your blood into your cells, where it is used for energy. Sugar is the fuel your body needs to work properly. When someone has diabetes, they either don’t produce enough insulin or their body doesn’t produce it well. When this happens, their body can’t use the food they eat as energy.

We treat many types of diabetes, including:

• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes
• Drug or chemical-induced diabetes
• Monogenic diabetes
• Positive diabetes: stage 1 and stage 2
• Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes

• Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition. It is sometimes called a “self-allergy.” This means the body attacks the cells that make insulin.
• People with type 1 diabetes do not make enough insulin to move sugar from their blood into their cells for energy. As a result, the body starts to starve.
• If this continues too long, the body begins to burn fat for energy, creating substances called ketones. Too many ketones can make a person very sick and cause a serious condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
• Request a screening appointment

Type 2 Diabetes

• This is the most common form of diabetes.
• People with type 2 diabetes still make insulin, but the insulin doesn’t work as it should.
• This means insulin cannot move enough sugar into the cells.
• When the body’s insulin cannot keep up, blood sugar levels rise.

Drug or Chemical-Induced Diabetes

• Some medications, like steroids or anti-rejection drugs used in transplant patients, can interfere with the body’s insulin.
• If untreated, high blood sugar can cause weight loss, infections, weakness, dehydration, delay healing or impact treatment.
• This type of diabetes may go away once treatment ends.

Monogenic Diabetes

• This group includes several rare forms of diabetes.
• They usually start in the teen years or early adulthood.
• Monogenic diabetes limits the body’s ability to make insulin, but it is different from type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Positive Diabetes: Stage 1 and Stage 2

• Diabetes autoantibodies are markers seen in blood tests that show the likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes.
• If a parent or sibling has type 1 diabetes, a child may have a higher chance of developing it.

Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes (CFRD)

• Cystic fibrosis (CF) causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, digestive system and other parts of the body.
• Sometimes mucus blocks the pancreas, damaging the cells that make insulin (called beta cells).
• This damage reduces insulin production, making it harder to keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range.

Award-winning care: At Children’s Wisconsin, our award-winning Endocrinology and Diabetes Program treats the full range of endocrine disorders and diabetes. Our compassionate staff and volunteers are here to support your family every step of the way, helping you understand and manage your child’s condition with confidence.