What is it?
Diabetes happens in children when the glucose level in their blood stays high. Everybody has glucose in their blood. It is in the food we eat. A hormone called insulin allows glucose to move from the blood to the body's cells. Insulin is made in the pancreas and diabetes happens when there is either not enough insulin, or the body doesn't respond well to insulin.
Diabetes is rare in children under 5 years old. If a young child develops diabetes, it can be very serious.