Type 1 diabetes mellitus developing during HELLP syndrome

HELLP syndrome, a combination of haemolysis, elevated liver function tests and a low platelet count, is described as a rare but serious complication of pregnancy. Some authors term HELLP syndrome an “acute autoimmune status”. This thesis is based upon positive platelet IgG antibodies, autoimmune haemolysis and passive disease transfer to the fetus. We diagnosed the onset of type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in a 30-year-old patient with HELLP syndrome during the 35th week of pregnancy. As immune mechanisms, together with other factors, play a fundamental role in the development of type 1 diabetes, a combination of autoimmune reactions could explain the onset of type 1 diabetes in a patient with altered immune status. To our knowledge this is the first report of such an association.