[Diabetes and immunology. I. Immunologic reactions linked to diabetes].

Various immunological mechanisms help to understand the epidemiological and biological heterogenicity of type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Immunological mechanisms are involved in the destruction of beta cells and perhaps explain the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus among certain patients with well defined genetic markers. Certain cases of Diabetes Mellitus seem to be mediated by auto-immune processes (cellular or humoral) and thus have a common denominator with other endocrinological diseases. Other immunological mechanisms are incriminated in the development of insulin resistance during exogenous insulin treatment of type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Resistance to endogenous insulin which characterizes type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is related to a decrease in number and density of peripheral insulin receptors.