[Diabetes and autoimmune diseases. I]

An account is given of the clinical and serological associations between diabetes and autoimmune diseases, especially those between diabetes and antihyperoglobulin, antithyroid, anti-intrinsic factor, anticorticoadrenal cell, and anti-nucleic acid autoantibodies. Body fluid antipancreas autoimmunity is examined from various standpoints relating to antipancrease cell antibodies (ICA), autoantibodies against glucagon-secreting cells (ECA) and somatostatin-secreting cells (SCA), and anti-islet cell surface antibodies (McLaren and Lernmark antibodies). Particular attention is directed to ICAs, since these have supplied the background for the recent division of type I diabetes into Ia viral and Ib autoimmune. Stress is laid on both the soundness and the problems forming part of ICAs, since their actual pathogenetic role (cytoplasmic markers?) still has to be determined, even though their persistent and significant association with autoimmune polyendocrinopathies is certain.