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Type 1 diabetes has been called IDDM, "brittle diabetes", and juvenile onset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is characterized by beta-cell destruction, usually leading to absolute insulin deficiency, so insulin injections are necessary.

The cause of type 1 diabetes in considered to be either:

  • Immune-mediated (positive serologies encountered, and the underlying beta-cell destructive process is clearly basis for disease)

       or

  • Idiopathic (no evidence of immune-mediated destruction; still characterized by insulin deficiency and beta-cell loss).

The primary risk factor for type 1 diabetes is family history.