Type I diabetes is caused by failure of which organ?

Type I diabetes is caused by failure of which organ?

• A. Heart
• B. Pancreas
• C. Liver
• D. Kidney

Answer: (B)

Type I diabetes is caused by the pancreas failing to produce insulin because of autoimmune destruction of the insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreatic islets. Insulin is the hormone that signals tissues to take up glucose from the blood; without it, glucose remains high in the bloodstream and cells can’t use it for energy. That loss of insulin production points to the pancreas as the organ at issue. The other organs listed don’t initiate this condition. The heart pumps blood but doesn’t regulate glucose levels. The liver helps maintain blood glucose by releasing or storing it, but it doesn’t fail to produce insulin in Type I. The kidneys filter blood and manage fluids and waste, but they aren’t the source of insulin and aren’t the cause of this diabetes type.

Type I diabetes is caused by the pancreas failing to produce insulin because of autoimmune destruction of the insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreatic islets. Insulin is the hormone that signals tissues to take up glucose from the blood; without it, glucose remains high in the bloodstream and cells can’t use it for energy. That loss of insulin production points to the pancreas as the organ at issue.

The other organs listed don’t initiate this condition. The heart pumps blood but doesn’t regulate glucose levels. The liver helps maintain blood glucose by releasing or storing it, but it doesn’t fail to produce insulin in Type I. The kidneys filter blood and manage fluids and waste, but they aren’t the source of insulin and aren’t the cause of this diabetes type.