Viruses People who develop Type 1 diabetes often come down with symptoms soon after having a viral infection. Viruses cause colds, the flu, measles, mumps, polio, and a large assortment of other illnesses. Healthcare providers sometimes notice an increase in the number of diagnoses of Type 1 diabetes after a viral epidemic. Some experts believe that the virus somehow changes the structure of the cells in the pancreas. When this happens, the body assumes that the pancreas cells are foreign invaders, and they attack and destroy them.
Some experts have another theory.
Viruses, like other living organisms, are made up of protein. Different viruses have different proteins, which gives them a different appearance. When a virus invades the body, the immune system sends out cells called T cells to hunt them down and destroy them. This protein is similar to the protein in certain viruses, particularly those in the Coxsackie family. After an infection by these viruses, the T cells travel around the body, looking for the viruses.