MODEL RELEASED. Young diabetic girl injecting herself in the leg with insulin. Diabetes mellitus is a carbohydrate metabolism disorder. It is a disease in which sugars in the body are not oxidised to produce energy due to a lack of the pancreatic hormone insulin. Unused sugars thus accumulate in the blood and the urine. And the fats which are utilised as an alternative energy source lead to a build-up of ketones in the blood that may eventually cause convulsions and diabetic coma. Treatment is based on a strict diet and the use of daily insulin injections to maintain the blood-sugar balance.