January 10, 2001
Research: Causes and Prevention
Question from :
From Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Can a physical trauma to a two and one-year old boy “set off” his diabetes? He dropped a toy on his toe while playing which resulted in the gradual loss of his toenail. A nail has since grown back and his toe/foot look as good as new. Might this have had an effect in “setting off” his diabetes? Also, can childhood diabetes be “set off” or is it something that develops over time? Might he have been born with a problem in his system that gradually caused his diabetes?
Answer:
Although we don’t know the cause, most children take several years from the first evidence of an immune disturbance (antibodies in the blood) to the development of diabetes. Trauma and illness can be the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ in the sense that they can precipitate the appearance of symptoms, but they are not causal.
KJR
