Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia due to absolute insulin deficiency.

Patients most often present with a few days or weeks of polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss, and weakness.

Some patients may present with diabetic ketoacidosis.

Insulin is required for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.

Intensive glycemic control has been shown to decrease the incidence of microvascular and macrovascular complications.

Microvascular complications include retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy.

Macrovascular complications include coronary artery, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular disease.

Technologic advances including insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices have led to an improvement in glycemic control and quality of life for people with type 1 diabetes.

New methods to preserve beta cell function in type 1 diabetes are at advanced stages of investigation.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia due to absolute insulin deficiency. The condition develops due to destruction of pancreatic beta cells, mostly by immune-mediated mechanisms. In some patients there may be no evidence of autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells; this is called idiopathic type 1 diabetes.