Type 1 Diabetes Causes

Autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors are implicated in the development of type 1 diabetes. Instead of fighting off viruses and bacteria, the immune system of people with type 1 diabetes attacks the body's own cells. Their immune system specifically attacks and kills the insulin-producing beta cells in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. As a result, their pancreas produces little or no insulin, and their cells cannot absorb glucose and convert it into energy.

The exact reason this occurs is unknown. Studies suggest that some people have a genetic (inherited) predisposition to develop type 1 diabetes but don't develop type 1 diabetes unless they are exposed to an environmental trigger.

The exact environmental triggers are currently being researched. Suspected triggers include:

• Viruses (German measles and coxsackie)
• Cow's milk proteins
• Toxins (nitrosourea compounds)

Several genes have been linked to the risk of developing type 1 diabetes. People who have a close relative (such as a parent or sibling) with diabetes are at much higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes. There also appears to be an ethnic link to diabetes. While African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islander Americans have a slightly lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes, they are at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes than the rest of the population.

Type 1 diabetes can also develop when the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed due to:

• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
• Trauma to the pancreas
• Pancreatic tumors