Background. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by chronic hyperglycemia caused by defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. Type 1 DM generally occurs in childhood. Symptoms and clinical signs are the same as those of DM in general, including: polyuria, polyphagia, polydipsia, and weight loss. More than 1/3 cases of type 1 DM in children are diagno…