ABSTRACT
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PREVALENCE Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), previously referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes, refers to diabetes that occurs as a result of the destruction of pancreatic beta-cells. According to the latest data, 1.4 million people in the United States and 10 to 20 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) (1), which comprises approximately 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. In the United States, 30,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. Although these figures comprise a far smaller number of patients in comparison with Type 2 diabetes (T2D), Type 1 is the leading cause of blindness, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and premature death in the general population (2). The economic burden of this disease is substantial as well, because T1D accounts for about 30% of the total costs attributable to diabetes (3).
