Which statement best describes the typical presentation of Type 1 diabetes?

Which statement best describes the typical presentation of Type 1 diabetes?

• A. It is primarily diagnosed in the elderly.
• B. It is always associated with obesity.
• C. It requires no insulin therapy.
• D. It generally presents in youth with little or no endogenous insulin production.

Answer: (D)

Type 1 diabetes is caused by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells, leading to little or no endogenous insulin production. This insulin deficiency typically shows up in younger people, so the classic picture is a youth with hyperglycemia symptoms and a need for exogenous insulin to control glucose. Because the body isn’t producing insulin, C-peptide levels are low, signaling minimal internal insulin production. The other statements don’t fit this pattern: onset in the elderly is more typical of some other forms of diabetes; obesity is more associated with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance; and type 1 diabetes almost always requires insulin therapy since the body's own insulin production is insufficient.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells, leading to little or no endogenous insulin production. This insulin deficiency typically shows up in younger people, so the classic picture is a youth with hyperglycemia symptoms and a need for exogenous insulin to control glucose. Because the body isn’t producing insulin, C-peptide levels are low, signaling minimal internal insulin production.

The other statements don’t fit this pattern: onset in the elderly is more typical of some other forms of diabetes; obesity is more associated with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance; and type 1 diabetes almost always requires insulin therapy since the body's own insulin production is insufficient.