Fifty years of pancreatic islet pathology in human type 1 diabetes: insights gained and progress made.

ABSTRACT: Type 1 diabetes is increasing in incidence in many parts of the world and it might be imagined that the pathological processes that underlie disease progression are firmly understood. However, this is not the case; rather, our collective understanding is still surprisingly rudimentary. There are various reasons for this but one of the most important is that the target organ (the pancreas) has been examined at, or soon after, diagnosis in only a small number of cases worldwide over the past half a century. This review provides a summary of some of the insights gained from these studies and highlights areas of ongoing uncertainty. In particular, it considers the process of insulitis (a form of islet inflammation that occurs characteristically in type 1 diabetes) and discusses the factors tha

SUBMITTER: Morgan NG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6223849 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature