My 18-year-old son was diagnosed with type 1 when he was eight. My daughters, now 26 and 29, both suffer from obesity and PCOS. In light of the new findings with regard to PCOS linked to overproduction of insulin, etc., I would like to know whether it is likely there is some link in the conditions of my three children. There is no previous history of either type 1 or type 2 diabetes in either maternal or paternal family except one possible case four generations ago.

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are different diseases in terms of their mechanisms of onset. It is generally thought that type 1 diabetes is associated with immune destruction of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas whereas type 2 diabetes is a complicated pattern of both insulin resistance and insulin failure over time. PCOS is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. It is also associated with increased cardiovascular risk. I am not sure that you can say that your son and daughters have a common mechanisms for the development of diabetes. The good news is that your daughters do not yet have diabetes and hope they do not. However, weight loss and monitoring are important in their medical follow-up.

JTL