Genetics of Diabetes
Diabetes Challenges
If one of your parents has diabetes, what is your chance of getting diabetes? If one of your siblings has diabetes, what is your risk of getting diabetes? When a diabetic girl is getting married, she is worried if she will transmit the disease to her children?
The genetics of diabetes is a bit complicated, even identical twins who share the same genes but researchers have generalized certain factors.
Type 1 genetic risk:
If the father has type 1 diabetes, the child has a 1 in 17 risk; if the mother has it, the risk is 1 in 25. It’s an autoimmune disease—not strictly hereditary—and may occur with thyroid or adrenal disorders. Triggers like viral infections or cold weather can influence onset. Breastfeeding may offer some protection. Genetic markers like HLA-DR3 and DR4 raise the risk, and it’s more common in white populations.
Type 2 genetic risk:
Type 2 diabetes is more strongly linked to family history. If one parent is diabetic, the child has a 1 in 7 to 1 in 13 risk; if both parents have it, the risk rises to 1 in 2. It’s influenced by genes and shared habits like unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles. Diagnosis before age 50 increases the risk in offspring. Mothers with type 2 diabetes pose a higher risk to their children.
