[Pathogenesis and immunotherapy of insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus]

The association of insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus with HLA-DR3 and DR4 and with several epidemiological, virological, immunological, and clinical data suggests a heterogenous pathogenesis. the initial lesion in most cases is a virologically induced autoimmune process. It is only rarely that insulin-dependent diabetes results from a pure viral infection or as part of polyendocrine autoimmune deficiencies. The knowledge of the genetical risk factors and of disease-specific humoral and cellular immune deviations exhibits possibilities of successful intervention by means of immunotherapy.