diabetes type 1, does heredity plays a role?

cheri · Veteran Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 549

Hi, I have a question about hereditary possibilities of diabetes type 1. My mother has this condition and I am quite aware of the seriousness of this illness. I am now a mother myself and I am very worried about my daughter. Does heredity plays a role in the development of diabetes type 1? Could you tell me what are the chances my daughter inherited diabetes type one?

quintin · Newbie Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 27

Hi, it is very normal for you to be concerned for your daughter's health, especially because your mother suffered from such serious condition as diabetes type one. Hereditary factors play a role in the process of diabetes type one development, but only up to a point. A person may carry genes that make them susceptible for diabetes type one, but an environmental factor is needed for the condition to occur. Some kind of viral infection is thought to be a trigger for the immune system to start to destroy the cells that produce insulin. In fact, it is thought that even if both parents have diabetes type one there is only a twenty percent chance that their child will also develop this condition. In most, of the cases there is only one member of the family that is diagnosed with diabetes type one. But if you are still concerned about your daughter you should talk to your pediatrician about this. There is not much you can do to prevent diabetes type one to occur, but if your daughter's doctor is aware of your worries, I am sure that he will pay close attention to any signs of diabetes type one in your daughter.

diabetes type 1, does heredity plays a role?

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