Type 1 diabetes: what is it?

 Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5-10% of all diabetes cases. This form of the disease appears most often in childhood or adolescence. At the very beginning, type 1 diabetes does not cause any symptoms because the pancreas remains partially functional. The disease does not become apparent until 80-90% of the pancreatic insulin-producing cells are already destroyed.

Type 1 diabetes: understand it all in 2 min

This is because individuals who have type 1 diabetes produce very little or no insulin at all due to an autoimmune reaction that partially or completely destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. The latter's role is to synthesize insulin, which is essential for the body to use blood glucose for energy. In this type of diabetes, it is absolutely necessary to take insulin regularly, hence the name that is often attributed to 'insulin-dependent diabetes (IDD)'. In fact, this disease was fatal before it could be controlled with insulin.

Causes

It is not known what exactly causes the immune system to respond to beta cells. Certain individuals would be predisposed to the disease, by their heredity. A family history of type 1 diabetes is found in just under 10% of cases. The disease is likely the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Exposure to certain viruses or foods early in life could, for example, play a role in the onset of the disease.

Possible complications

For information on acute complications (hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia caused by treatment adjustment; ketoacidosis in untreated diabetics), see our Diabetes fact sheet (overview).

In the long term, type 1 diabetes increases the risk of several health problems: cardiovascular disease, kidney problems, loss of sensitivity in the fingers and feet, vision problems that can lead to blindness, etc.

The best way to prevent these complications is to regularly monitor your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol regularly. For more information, see our Complications of Diabetes sheet.

Watch out for celiac disease

Celiac disease is particularly common in people with type 1 diabetes: 20 times more than in the general population, according to one study12. Celiac disease is another autoimmune disease whose symptoms (mainly digestive) are triggered by the consumption of gluten, a protein found in several grains. Therefore, screening for celiac disease is recommended in type 1 diabetics, even in the absence of obvious symptoms.

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