QA Forum

Question & Answer

We are discussing Living with Diabetes
With Angela Blair, Kristen Hazelwood and the Department of Health and Ageing

Question:
Will my children inherit my diabetes?

Answer:
Angela - This is a tough question. There is a very strong heredity factor in developing type 2 diabetes but there are also additional triggers such as obesity causing insulin resistance, stress, pregnancy, high blood pressure or cholesterol and age. Some ethnic races like the Aboriginal Australian, Pacific Islanders or Chinese cultural background increases the risk of type 2 diabetes because of dietary changes or environmental factors.

Genetic predisposition however seems to be the strongest factor. As you have type 2 diabetes then your children have an increased risk of developing it as they become older. If your husband also has type 2 then the risk is even greater. One way to encourage them to reduce their risk is to maintain their weight in the normal range, eat healthy and stay active. You should make them aware of type 2 diabetes and advise them to have annual medical checks after 45 years that includes blood pressure, blood fats (cholesterol) and fasting blood glucose.

For type 1 diabetes it is different. The genetic link in type 1 diabetes is weak. If you have the disease your child has about a 5% chance of developing it too. For unknown reasons a type 1 father has a slightly high chance of transmitting it than a type 1 mother. Family history in certain cultural groups can also increase the risk with Caucasians having the greatest risk.

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the person’s own immune system attacks healthy cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. It is believed that those with the genetic link are susceptible to this auto-immune response causing type 1 diabetes. Little can be done to prevent this occurring.

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