Type 1 diabetes can lead to the develop of other autoimmune diseases. A recent study revealed that 27 percent of patients with Type 1 diabetes suffer from another autoimmune disease. The study also revealed that these autoimmune diseases can develop for people as young as age 6; however, a large percentage of these types of diseases develop in people aged 65 and older. It also found that those who are more likely to develop these disease are older, white women. The two most common diseases in the study were thyroid diseases and Celiac disease.
Key Takeaways:
- People with type 1 diabetes often develop other autoimmune disorders, such as thyroid and gastrointestinal diseases
- In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas and destroys its insulin-producing cells
- autoimmune diseases begin early in childhood, where nearly 20 percent of those under age 6 already have additional diseases other than type 1 diabetes
“In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas and destroys its insulin-producing cells. Patients often develop other immune system diseases, too.”