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July 6, 2020

Diagnosis and Symptoms

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Question from Perth, Australia:

I know it’s not anyone’s fault my son has type 1. However, I did have chicken pox when I was 20 weeks pregnant with him and, when he was born, he had a positive strep B swab result. Could either of these be linked to his weak immune system and his developing type 1?

Answer:

From: Dr. Stuart Brink

Probably not. We think that type 1 diabetes comes from a genetic predisposition and then something in the environment, chemicals or viruses, then works together with this genetic “trigger” to let the pancreas beta cells get attacked and destroyed. There has been a lot of research for many years that has not yet answered this question specifically. But, chicken pox (varicella virus) and beta strep, while they could have been triggers, are unlikely culprits.