June 24, 2000
Research: Causes and Prevention
Question from Montgomery, Alabama, USA:
My nephew, who has an adopted mother, has been diagnosed with diabetes. My mother-in-law, who is also his primary care giver, feels that she has something to do with this condition. The child is 6 years old and his mother weighs over 300 pounds and her mother was even heavier. We don’t know if she had this condition. Could this condition be something my mother-in-law did, or is it more than likely a family history matter?
Answer:
The onset of Type 1 diabetes is most certainly not because someone is “at fault”. There is a genetic predisposition that children may have for developing diabetes. The actual trigger for causing Type 1 diabetes has yet to be identified.
I would encourage your nephew’s family to simply work hard at aggressively helping him to control his diabetes rather that being concerned about fault.
MSB
