How Type 1 Diabetes Develops
Type 1 Diabetes is generally the result of an autoimmune disorder in which an individual’s immune system believes one of it's own tissues, the insulin producing cells of the pancreas, to be a foreign body and an enemy. The body then creates antibodies to fight the "invader", destroying the ability of the islet cells to produce insulin. The resulting lack of sufficient insulin results in diabetes.
It is unknown why this autoimmune diabetes develops. Most often it is a genetic tendency. Sometimes it follows a viral infection such as mumps, rubella, cytomegalovirus, measles, influenza, encephalitis, polio or the Epstein-Barr virus. Certain people are more genetically prone to this happening although why this occurs is not know. Thus, two people may be infected with the same virus and only one of them who is genetically prone will go on to develop diabetes.
In rare circumstances, Type 1 Diabetes can be caused by injury to the pancreas resulting from toxins, trauma, or even after the surgical removal of the majority (or all) of the pancreas.
Type 1 Diabetes is much less common than Type 2 Diabetes and typically affects younger individuals. Type 1 Diabetes usually begins before age 40 although there are exceptions.
In the United States, the peak age for Type 1 diabetes diagnosis is around the age of 14.
Hereditary Tendencies
Considering less than 4% of parents and 6% of siblings of a diabetic also had diabetes, there seems to be little support for hereditary tendencies to account for its development. In studies with identical twins, less than 50% of the siblings of a person with diabetes also had diabetes. However, children of Type 1 diabetic fathers are more likely to develop Type 1 autoimmune diabetes than children of Type 1 diabetic mothers.
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