Grandchildren and Type 1

[Mellitus Boss]

Hi everyone, first time here Do we know genetically the chances of grandchildren getting Type 1 Diabetes through heredity means?

 

[Tony337]

Hi and welcome

My sister and i are both type 1 and we have children who are not.
Neither of our parents have it and neither of theirs had it either.

This is not scientific but in our family line it does not appear to be genetic.

I hope this helps

Tony

 

[Juicyj]

Hello and welcome.

No other incidences of type 1 in my family or type 2. Figures I have seen have quoted a chance of between 1-9% of it being passed down to children, however haven't seen anything for further generations.

 

[Nicola M]

As per this article (https://www.diabetes.org.uk/our-research/about-our-research/hot-topics/what-causes-type-1) Genes can play a part in causing Type 1 Diabetes but isn’t the sole cause (like the article says some twins both don’t get the condition) so if a Grandparent passes on certain Genes there may be a higher chance that the Grandchildren will get Type 1 Diabetes but it also may not happen. There’s still a lot of unknowns with what causes Type 1 but when I was younger I was always taught if someone in your family has it there’s a higher chance of someone else in the family getting it. In my case no one in my family has diabetes except for me.

 

[Ushthetaff]

I have it none of my grand parents had it even if they did there’s not a lot I can do about it , I have grand children and as yet none of them have it to be honest it wouldn’t have stopped me having children , there maybe some trains of thought which think it maybe hereditary but there a many trains of thought about what is the cause as yet none of them have come up with the exact cause . I’ve had diabetes 45 years and the technology and advancement of treatment has improved no end and compared with when was first diagnosed it is far easier to live with , this can only continue in the future

 

[Zhnyaka]

The risk is not very high, but it is still significantly higher than in children with healthy relatives. But if the risk of developing diabetes hasn't stopped you from having a child, then it's unlikely to stop your child.

Extended Family History of Type 1 Diabetes and Phenotype and Genotype of Newly Diagnosed Children - PMC

To determine the frequency of newly diagnosed diabetic children with first- and second-degree relatives affected by type 1 diabetes and to characterize the effects of this positive family history on clinical markers, signs of β-cell autoimmunity, ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Extended Family History of Type 1 Diabetes and Phenotype and Genotype of Newly Diagnosed Children - PMC

To determine the frequency of newly diagnosed diabetic children with first- and second-degree relatives affected by type 1 diabetes and to characterize the effects of this positive family history on clinical markers, signs of β-cell autoimmunity, ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Blanchoid]

I am diabetic Type1, my mother had LADA (late onset developed in her 70s or 80s), I was diagnosed aged 53, no body else in my family has diabetes!

Though my sister the hypochondriac, may to have it, but just to get sympathy from whoever will listen!!

Everything I have read is that it is not hereditary! Having said that, it is still unknown if the causal factors are.

 

[M80]

I remember being told genetically it often skips a generation, which is meaning grandkids are more likely to inherit it. When I read the latest magazine in the waiting room at the clinic this year - there was an article I found very interesting. It said if the mother ( which is me in my case) already has type 1, the child in the womb can develop genes to protect them from developing type 1. I don’t have the magazine or article , but I found this very interesting and as my daughter is 12, I was also happy to read that after the age of 10- girls were less likely to to develop type 1 ( again I think this was in relation to genetics and parents with T 1.)

What I think will be more studies if in the future I hope, is exactly what is the trigger for the gene to react or not, I mean the auto immune response that destroys the cells.

I have very strong suspicions it could be partly related to certain proteins in wheat, so in the future if knowing you have genetically higher risk , we hopefully can avoid the factors that trigger. A virus is also linked to developing type one, it makes me wonder if some are immune to it ( like my brother who grew up in same environment) and others are not. Those who develop type one are not obviously- but what virus it is is unclear .
Maybe it can be a variety - the trigger being overstimulation of immune systems response .

I was the first one as far as we know with type 1. Now I have cousins whose kids have it.

The link to wheat - and not tolerating it, I suspect has to do with environmental genetic factors . Living by the sea, not having been exposed to industry until modern types .
Similar to how some can not tolerate lactose.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Hi @Mellitus Boss In 4 generations I am the only one who had Type1 from 1959-2013. But...my maternal grandmother had rheumatoid arthritis, as does my sister. My mother had no ailments until she was 76, when osteoporosis an Parkinson's showed up. My father had asthma as does my daughter, who is also severely allergic to gluten. Her daughter shows no signs of anything (let's hope it stays that way) but clearly there is an auto-immune problem running through our family tree.
Having said that, I had a pancreas/kidney transplant in 2013 and the main consultant said that the positive side of diabtic genes is that they are very likely to be strengthening the immune system for future generations. It is strange that Covid ran through our family 5 times at least, yet my granddaughter and I have never succumbed, in spite of me being on immunosuppressants!

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Maybe it can be a variety - the trigger being overstimulation of immune systems response .

Interesting you should say this. For at least 45 years I have felt that mine was caused by one of two events which both happened shortly before I was diagnosed. My mother used to tell me that she had left me in the pram outside Shoreham-by-Sea post office while she popped in to buy some stamps. When she came out, there was a large Alsatian barking into the hood of the pram. The other event has taken on more significance in my mind. My mother had taken my brother and me down to the beach, where I was stung in quick succession, seven times, by wasps. She picked me up and dunked me in the sea in order to calm the swellings and alleviate the pain. Clearly I have no memory of either event, but my subconscious has blamed the wasps. Although many doctors have disagreed with me, I think it is possible that wasp stings could easily have caused my immune system to go into overdrive, whether it be the result of shock or of a sudden rush of histamines.

 

[M80]

Agree with all of this- and now I think there is more interest in the trigger stress, or like you mention allergic reaction triggering immune system, can have. To prevent my daughter to develop type1, I have had this in mind ,it’s not possible to stop stress some times, like when stung by bees - but I think part of our challenge today is that we don’t have time to be sick or recover when we are,. My diagnosis came shortly after taking out my tonsils, and in my ward other patients also later developed the same, which seems an odd coincidence.It makes me question if there was a virus at the hospital that time.

I had been on so much antibiotics there was no other option - but in the 80 we had very little scepticism towards antibiotics.
I am absolute for them at times, but it definitely wiped out any good bacteria in my system,add the intolerance to I don’t know if it’s wheat or also gluten - but that definitely also played a part.