Vaccinations and Diabetes Link

[Lovinlife]

Is it true that there is a link between vaccinations and Type 1? I have a 6 week old baby who will be due her vaccines shortly but as I am type 1 diabetic I am so worried she will get it also.

I got the routine vaccines back in the 80's but did not get the hepatitis b vaccine till late noughties and 4 years later diagnosed with type 1 however in hindsight the symptoms were there around a year to two after this vaccine. So it is this vaccine that is really of concern to me. What do yee think?

 

[azure]

I've never heard of vaccines being linked to Type 1. My baby had the normal vaccines

I'm pretty sure that babies don't have Hepatitis B anyway, but they do have the new Men B vaccine, which is a good thing.

There'll always be something you did, had, ate or drank before you got Type 1 but it's unlikely they'll be the cause

 

[Lovinlife]

In Ireland babies receive hep b vaccine. But yes you are probably right that it was just unlucky I developed T1 and I will never know what really caused it

 

[Dillinger]

I've never heard of that. Vaccines are incredibly important and very safe. There is a lot of gibberish spouted about them online and especially in the US.

I would suggest that you ignore the negatives; vaccinations are one of the undeniable medical miracles of our times. Have a look at polio; it used to be endemic but now only exists in 2 countries Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Make sure your daughter is not vitamin d deficient; that is probably the best insurance against diabetes.

 

[AndyS]

If there is a link it is extremely tenuous and is more likely down to a predisposition to autoimmune disorders. Personally I keep all of my shots up to date since I don't want to get sick from something that is avoidable and I also am not so selfish that I will put others at risk too.

As with many things in life it comes down to weighing the risks, the infinitesimally small chance it causes D vs the potentially fatal illness you may contract should you not be vaccinated and then exposed to said illness.

Sorry if that was a tad ranty I just get a bit annoyed that this argument seems to get adjusted and rehashed so often.

/A

Edited by a mod

 

[azure]

In Ireland babies receive hep b vaccine. But yes you are probably right that it was just unlucky I developed T1 and I will never know what really caused it

Interesting

I hope they do find out the cause of Type 1. It's frustrating and annoying not to know. When I had children, I asked my consultant because I found it really worrying that maybe there was something out there that was causing Type 1 but nobody knew, so I'd inadvertently give the thing to my daughter, or do or not do something that'd cause Type 1. I totally understand your concerns. We'd all do anything to,protect our children.

I give my baby vitamin drops that contain Vitamin D (after checking they were safe, of course) and I breastfeed him. Those were the two things that my consultant suggested. She wasn't saying that either of those things caused diabetes, but she said it was a sensible precaution.

If you're particularly concerned about the hepatitis B vaccine, then maybe you could get further information from your doctor or health visitor. Hopefully, it'd put your mind at rest The same with the other vaccines too. I always read up on things too because I feel happier that way.

Edited to add that I found this for you @Lovinlife :


http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/d_0j_112.htm


I hope that helps put your mind at rest

 

[AndBreathe]

In Ireland babies receive hep b vaccine. But yes you are probably right that it was just unlucky I developed T1 and I will never know what really caused it

If all (aside from those who opt out) babies in Ireland are vaccinated against Hep B and you have concerns about any potential link with diabetes, you could research and compare T1 diabetes rates between Ireland and the UK, as Hep B is not a routine vaccination. It is usually only recommended in the UK for those who are at an increased risk, either by lifestyle or occupationally.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/vaccination-schedule-age-checklist.aspx

When I was a practising HCP professional, my Hep B vaccination had to be kept up to date as I routinely was in bloody environments; albeit fully gloved, and for riskier patients, double gloved.

 

[Lovinlife]

Some interesting information in all of your replies...many thanks! I agree there is a lot of scaremongering out there! My daughter will be getting all vaccines but I am unsure about the hep b one and is it even necessary as it is not routinely done in the UK as mentionned. I will discuss with my GP and Endocrinologist.