The most common form of diabetes, type 1 diabetes, is caused by a deficiency of the hormone insulin which is produced by the pancreas. It results in the body’s failure to metabolize sugars and starch leading to the accumulation of sugars in the blood and urine. For its energy needs, the body then resorts to fat metabolism but its by-products disturb the acid–base balance of the blood, which may cause disorientation, loss of consciousness, and in severe cases, convulsions and coma.