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What causes type 1 diabetes? - Independent medicine & health information What causes type 1 diabetes?
The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is not known, but it is thought to be an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are those in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys its own tissue — in this case, the cells in the pancreas that make insulin (called islet cells). This means that the pancreas makes little or no insulin, resulting in higher than normal blood sugar (glucose) levels (more than 8 millimoles [mmol] of glucose per litre [L] of blood).
Type 1 diabetes usually runs in families, so if you have a close relative (a parent, brother or sister) with type 1 diabetes, you are more likely to develop it compared with someone who is not related to anyone with type 1 diabetes. This means that there may be a genetic cause for why the body’s immune system attacks the pancreas in type 1 diabetes.
Reference
Craig ME, Twigg SM, Donaghue KC, et al for the Australian Type 1 Diabetes Guidelines Expert Advisory Group. National evidence-based clinical care guidelines for type 1 diabetes in children, adolescents and adults. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2011. www.diabetessociety.com.au/downloads/ Type1guidelines14Nov2011.pdf (accessed 15 November 2011).
Date published: 2011-12-06 00:00:00
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© 2012 National Prescribing Service Limited. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
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