ABSTRACT
Insulin dependent or type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease with a strong genetic susceptibility linked to MHC and non MHC genes. Risk of the disease is 20 fold higher in first degree relatives of patients than in the general population. beta-cell destruction is progressive and marked by the appearance of antibodies to several islet constituents including insulin and glutamate decarboxylase. These markers allow disease prediction specially in children where a population with a 5 years risk approaching 100% can be defined. The intravenous glucose tolerance test can detect a progressive decline of the first phase of insulin secretion, preceding glucose intolerance and hyperglycemia. These screening programs will allow clinical trials currently limited to non specific immuno-suppressive agents such as cyclosporine in patients with preclinical diabetes. In the future, identification of targets and effector mechanisms of auto-immune destruction of the beta-cells will allow the evaluation of more specific approaches at earlier stages of the disease.
