Diabetes mellitus type 1
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Definition
A chronic condition, caused by death of the insulin producing cells in the islets of langerhans. The commonest side effect of this is high blood sugar.
Epidemiology
Around 7% of all diabetes sufferers have type 1. In the general population, about 0.4% of people have it. It generally presents in the teenage years, often around the age of 13.
Pathophysiology
Like nearly all the well known diseases, we don't really know what is going on. The general consensus is that the beta cells in the Islet of Langerhans (in the pancreas) are attacked by autoimmune processes.