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Is Diabetes A Genetic Disease? How To Avoid This?

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Posted on Sat, 30 Mar 2013
Question: I've 3 sons and 1 daughter, my second son had Diabetes 6 years ago when he was 6 years old, my other son had Diabetes 4 months ago, when he is 9 years old, now I just realize that my small Daughter 5 years old have high blood sugar, still only my old son 13 years old.
I need to know if this disease is genetic, but myself and my wife both don't have Diabetes, also our parentheses don't have it, please tell me what I've to do? I am afraid for my old Son now, is there anything I can do to avoid?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Madhuri Patil (1 hour later)
Hello,

Thank you for the query - the type of diabetes your children have got is Type 1 Diabetes of auto immune origin which means they are having auto anti-bodies in their body which attack insulin producing beta cells. In your elder son, you can get tests to detect presence of following antibodies:

1. Islet Cell antibodies
2. Insulin auto antibodies (IAA)
3. GAD antibodies
4. Vitamin D

Unfortunately at this stage, none of the ongoing research has successfully shown prevention of this type of diabetes, but you can always keep checking sugars of your son in case these any of these antibodies are positive.

For your other children already having diabetes, make sure you check TSH, Vitamin B12, AM Cortisol and anti-TPO tests done to rule out other concomitant auto immune diseases.

Finally this kind of diabetes is not necessarily present int the older generation but its appearance in given generation can be abrupt.

Please get back to me for any further queries. Take care.
Note: For further follow-up, discuss your blood glucose reports with our diabetologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Madhuri Patil

Diabetologist

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 362 Questions

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Is Diabetes A Genetic Disease? How To Avoid This?

Hello,

Thank you for the query - the type of diabetes your children have got is Type 1 Diabetes of auto immune origin which means they are having auto anti-bodies in their body which attack insulin producing beta cells. In your elder son, you can get tests to detect presence of following antibodies:

1. Islet Cell antibodies
2. Insulin auto antibodies (IAA)
3. GAD antibodies
4. Vitamin D

Unfortunately at this stage, none of the ongoing research has successfully shown prevention of this type of diabetes, but you can always keep checking sugars of your son in case these any of these antibodies are positive.

For your other children already having diabetes, make sure you check TSH, Vitamin B12, AM Cortisol and anti-TPO tests done to rule out other concomitant auto immune diseases.

Finally this kind of diabetes is not necessarily present int the older generation but its appearance in given generation can be abrupt.

Please get back to me for any further queries. Take care.