Diabetes mellitus type 1 According to the current definition, two fasting glucose measurements above 126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l) is considered diagnostic for diabetes mellitus. In type 1, pancreatic beta cells in the islets of Langerhans are destroyed, decreasing endogenous insulin production. This distinguishes type 1's origin from type 2. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, while type 1 diabetes is characterized by insulin deficiency, generally without insulin resistance. Another hallmark of type 1 diabetes is islet autoreactivity, which is generally measured by the presence of autoantibodies directed towards the beta cells. The appearance of diabetes-related autoantibodies has been shown to be able
Genetic causes of diabetes mellitus type 1 Genetic causes of diabetes mellitus type 1 At least 20 different chromosomal regions have been linked to type 1 diabetes (T1D) susceptibility in humans, using genome screening, candidate gene testing, and studies of human homologues of mouse susceptibility genes. The largest contribution to the pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes comes from a single locus called IDDM1, which comes from several genes located in the Major histocompatibility complex on the 6p21.3 chromosome. This is believed to be responsible for at least 40% of the disease's familial aggreagation. Additionally, nearly 30% of Type I Diabetes patients are heterozygous for several HLA-DQ2 (specifically