
August 15, 2005
Genetics and Heredity
Question from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA:
My husband has had type 1 diabetes since he was nine months old. Given how young he was when diagnosed, does my daughter have more than a 6% chance of getting it? She is 10 years old. Also, he has a daughter from a previous marriage that has had type 1 since she was 10 months old. Does this increase my daughter’s risk as well? She has had a blood test, with a glucose level of 4, which I understand is perfect. Should I have her blood tested once a year at her annual check-up just as a precaution? She has unexplained bouts of vomiting, nausea, and extreme hunger, but not thirst and frequent urination. She has outgrown a number of food allergies from infancy. What role might this have in her contracting type 1? I have read through your other questions and answers and can’t find much on this.
Answer:
It is unnecessary to have her blood tested annually. I would recommend having her pediatrician monitor her for the symptoms of diabetes. You can read more about the risk of diabetes and inheritance of diabetes at The Risk of Developing Type 1 Diabetes and through our Genetics and Heredity questions.
MSB