The causes of type 1 diabetes appear to be much different than those for type 2 diabetes, though the exact mechanisms for developing both diseases are unknown. The appearance of type 1 diabetes is suspected to follow exposure to an “environmental trigger,” such as an unidentified virus, stimulating an immune attack against the beta cells of the pancreas (that produce insulin) in some genetically predisposed people.

For more information about the immune system, visit these pages from The National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Web site:

Courtesy of the Center for Disease Control www.cdc.gov/diabetes/