Type 1 diabetes mellitus is defined as IDDM with more than one autoantibody.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. It is defined by absence of autoantibodies
• D. It is defined by autoantibodies against exocrine pancreas

Answer: (A)

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, which leads to insulin dependence. In many people with this form, the autoimmune process is evidenced by antibodies directed against beta-cell antigens such as GAD65, IA-2, ZnT8, and insulin itself. Seeing more than one of these autoantibodies strengthens the diagnosis of an autoimmune, Type 1 process and helps distinguish it from Type 2 diabetes, which typically lacks these islet autoantibodies. While some individuals may have only a single autoantibody, the presence of multiple autoantibodies is a common and important pattern in defining this form of diabetes.