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Dr. Priyabrata Banerjee explains if Diabetes is an Inborn Disease

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Dr. Priyabrata Banerjee explains if Diabetes is an Inborn Disease

Is Diabetes an Inborn Disease

Many people across the world have diabetes. There are many questions in the minds of diabetes patients –  can our children get diabetes from us? On the contrary, people may have this other question – My parents had diabetes; can I have diabetes? These are among the common questions.

It is difficult to give an obvious answer to these questions. However, if a person carries a genetic factor for diabetes, when it is joined by environmental factors such as poor lifestyle, there is a risk of the development of diabetes. In short, if you or your children inherit a predisposition to diabetes in a suitable environment, diabetes gets triggered.

Type 1 diabetes

There are two types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, people need to inherit risk factors from both parents. When triggered by a cold environment or viral infection, or diet may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes may develop early in life or later in life.

Here are some numbers:

  • If your father has type 1 diabetes: You have 1 in 17 odds
  • If your mother has type 1 diabetes and was aged less than 25 when you were born: you have 1 in 25 odds
  • If your mother has type 1 diabetes and was aged more than 25 when you were born: You have 1 in 100 odds
  • If your father developed type 1 diabetes before the age of 11: The risk doubles

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes also has a genetic predisposition triggered by the environment. However, the line between genetic predisposition and environment is blurred in that case. So, it is not possible to tell clearly if someone has inherited type 2 diabetes or not.

In conclusion, it is difficult to ascertain if diabetes is hereditary or not. From what research suggests, there is a genetic predisposition, and when triggered by a suitable environmental or lifestyle trigger, it can develop into diabetes. The development may happen during early life or later or may not happen at all.

References:

CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/famhist_diabetes.htm
ADA. https://diabetes.org/diabetes/genetics-diabetes
Dean L, McEntyre J. The Genetic Landscape of Diabetes [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Center for Biotechnology Information (US); 2004. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1667/

 

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