Immune and autoimmune aspects of diabetes mellitus.

The immune and autoimmune aspects of diabetes mellitus are reviewed. Emphasis is given to the clinical association of diabetes with other autoimmune disease; the increased incidence of organ-specific autoimmunity in diabetic patients; the occurrence of humoral and cell-mediated antipancreas (islet) autoimmunity in diabetes; the association of HLA with juvenile-onset, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and with certain specific subpopulations of diabetic patients; the possible role of viruses in the etiology of diabetes; and the occurrence of alterations in humoral and cell-mediated immunity, granulocyte function, and the host defense against infectious agents in human diabetics and in animals with experimental diabetes.