Pancreas Volume in Preclinical Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by a progressive destruction of insulin producing beta cells, resulting in a lifelong dependence on exogenous insulin. While beta cells make up less than 1% of the pancreas, studies have demonstrated that T1D is associated with a marked reduction of pancreatic mass at diagnosis and as the disease progresses. As such, if pancreatic volume assessment, by ultrasonography (US) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), could be utilized as a marker of beta cell function in high risk patients, non-invasive pancreatic imaging could become an important part of staging diabetes risk. As such, the primary goal of this study is to measure pancreatic volume and compare differences in volume between new onset T1D patients, antibody positive subjects at risk for diabetes, antibody negative individuals, and healthy controls.