
January 31, 2006
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Lansing, Illinois, USA:
My four and a half year old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on December 30, 2005. He had a flu shot on December 13, 2005. Did the flu shot cause his diabetes? How long does it take diabetes to develop? We do not have a history of type 1 diabetes in our family.
Answer:
The flu shot was probably not the cause. It was more likely some genetic predisposition even with a negative family history. Most kids do not have positive family histories, but some have lots of other autoimmune disorders (celiac, thyroid). There has been a lot of research to answer such questions, but still much that we do not know. You should ask such questions to your diabetes team since they may be able to give you more specific answers since they know your family and your child best.
SB