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By the time a person with Type 1 diabetes experiences symptoms, almost all the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas have been destroyed. This destruction is usually as a result of an automimmune process in which the body produces antibodies to its own cells. However, the details of the process are obscure.

It seems that there must initially be a genetic tendency for the disease, which is then triggered by an environmental event such as a viral infection. This results in inflammation of the beta cells, called insulitis.

Next the surface of the beta cell is altered so that it is no longer recognised as “self” – part of the body – but is perceived by the immune system to be a foreign cell or “non-self”. The body makes antibodies against these perceived enemies resulting in the destruction of the beta cells and the development of diabetes.

Reviewed by Michael Brown & Vanessa Melville; B Nursing (Wits) and Accredited Diabetes Educators; Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology (Pty) Ltd, Houghton, Johannesburg

Read more:
Why did I get diabetes?
Is diabetes hereditary?
Diabetes - why obesity is a risk factor

 

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