Type 1 Diabetes: Clinical and Experimental

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common chronic disorders of childhood and adolescence and its incidence is rising worldwide, with an annual increase over the last years of about 3–4% [1]. Based on recent estimates, between 2005 and 2010, there will be a 70% increase in the prevalence of T1D, with a doubling of new cases in children younger than 5 years [1]. These data are worrisome given that a diagnosis of T1D during childhood determines a longer exposure to the metabolic derangements of the disease when compared to adult-onset T1D, therefore increasing the burden of the disease [2]. In addition, an early onset of T1D is often associated with more acute presentations, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and admission to hospital, which increase T1D morbidity [3]. Many efforts are continuously made to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease, to identify subjects at increased risk of developing it, to improve daily management of T1D and to identify factors which could predict subjects particularly predisposed to the long-term vascular complications, and towards whom more aggressive and intensive interventions should be directed. The emergence of new and promising treatment options always creates optimism among clinicians and researchers, in particular when dealing with a chronic disease such as T1D and when the aim is to improve the future of our children. All the above-mentioned aspects are the focus of the articles chosen for the 2010 Yearbook chapter on T1D.