Diabetes Central Blog

Type 1 diabetes accounts for between 5 and 10% of all diagnosed diabetes in the United States. Although type 1 diabetes develops most often in children and young adults, the disease can be diagnosed at any age throughout the lifespan, and is equally distributed among males and females. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 is more common in Caucasians than in those of Hispanic, African-American, or other non-Caucasian backgrounds.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the insulin producing beta cells within the pancreas are gradually destroyed and eventually fail to produce insulin.

The causes of Type1 diabetes are complex and still not completely understood. People with type 1 are thought to have an inherited, or genetic, predisposition to the disease. Researchers believe that this genetic predisposition may remain dormant until it is activated by an environmental trigger such as a virus or a chemical. This starts an attack on the immune system and that results in the eventual destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas.

There are several subtypes of type 1 diabetes, including type 1A diabetes, idiopathic diabetes (type 1B), and latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood (LADA). The basic treatment (insulin) is the same for all.

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