The most common autoimmune diseases
In the case of an autoimmune disease, the immune system fights its own cells because it mistakenly views them as enemies. These diseases, which affect 3 to 5% of French people, develop chronically throughout life, with phases of relapses and remissions. Focus on the most common autoimmune diseases.
Diabetes type 1
Le Type 1 diabetes affects 5-10% of all diabetes cases. It usually appears during childhood or adolescence.
People with type 1 diabetes produce little or no insulin due to an autoimmune reaction which destroys the beta cells of the pancreas, which have the role of synthesizing insulin, which is essential for the body’s use of blood glucose. It is still unknown what exactly causes the immune system to react to beta cells.
What symptoms?
The symptoms of type 1 diabetes are:
- Excessive elimination of urine;
- An increase in thirst and hunger;
- Significant fatigue;
- Weight loss;
- Blurry vision.
It is absolutely necessary that type 1 diabetics take insulin regularly.
To find out more, see our fact sheet: Type 1 diabetes