There are two major forms of diabetes:

Type 1 (previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM, or juvenile-onset diabetes)

Type 2 (previously called noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM, or maturity-onset diabetes)

Both diabetes type 1 and type 2 share one central feature: elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels due to insufficiencies of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin is a key regulator of the body's metabolism.