HLA alleles and type 1 diabetes mellitus in low disease incidence populations of Southern Europe: a comparison of Greeks and Albanians.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) is caused by environmental factors acting on genetically susceptible individuals. HLA-DQA1 and -DQB1 are major genetic determinants of the disease. Greece and Albania represent the low DM1 incidence countries of South-Eastern Europe.