Is Type 1 Diabetes a hereditary disease? Let's be aware of this!

You and your relatives have a lot in common, don't you? Blue eyes, height, and diseases like asthma and heart disease can all be passed down through generations. So if you have Type 1 diabetes, you might be wondering, "Is this something I inherited?" And you might be a little worried that your children will also get the disease. It's important to be aware of this.

First, let's understand what Type 1 diabetes is?

Simply put, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease . Dad, does that sound a bit complicated? Okay, let me explain it simply. Imagine that there is an army to protect our country. The only duty of that army is to protect the country from external enemies. Our body also has a similar defense system. We call it the immune system . Its job is to identify and destroy external enemies like germs, viruses, and bacteria that cause disease and keep us healthy.

However, in this autoimmune disease, our own defense system goes a little 'wrong' and is unable to distinguish between our own good cells and foreign enemies. It's like our own army attacking innocent people in our own country.

In Type 1 diabetes, this mistaken immune system attacks a special type of cell in our pancreas called beta cells . These beta cells are the ones that make the hormone insulin, which is essential for our bodies. Insulin is what takes the sugar (glucose) from the food we eat and sends it into the cells to be converted into energy. So when the immune system destroys these beta cells, insulin production stops completely. That's when Type 1 diabetes develops.

So how does generation relate to this?

Yes, Type 1 diabetes runs in families. That means there is some genetic link. If your mother, father, brother, sister, or child has Type 1 diabetes, you are about 15 times more likely to develop the disease than someone with no family members who do.

Surprisingly, 85% of people who develop Type 1 diabetes, or more than eight out of ten people, have no family history of the disease . Also, even if someone in the family has the disease, the chances of others developing it are very low.

So how does this happen? Is it just genetics?

No. The important thing is, genes are not the only cause of this . Think of genes as a bunch of gunpowder ready to be ignited. But for it to ignite, it needs an external spark. That spark is what we call 'environmental factors' .

Doctors and scientists are still trying to figure out exactly what this 'spark' is. It could be a viral infection, something in the food we eat, or some other environmental factor. So, for someone to develop Type 1 diabetes, they must have the genes that make them develop the disease, and they must be exposed to an environmental factor that triggers those genes. When both of these things come together, the immune system goes haywire and starts attacking the beta cells.

What are the genes associated with Type 1 diabetes?

Scientists are doing a lot of research on the genetic mutations associated with Type 1 diabetes. Many of these genes affect the way our immune system works. One of the most important of these is the HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) genes . These HLA genes are what teach the immune system to distinguish between "our own cells and foreign cells." So if there is a defect in these HLA genes, the immune system cannot make this distinction properly.

These HLA genes are further divided into different types. You can get a simple idea of ​​this from the table below.

Additionally, some variations in the INS gene, which instructs the body to produce insulin, may also be linked to Type 1 diabetes.

These genetic tests are currently usually done at a research level. If you want to know more about this or have any concerns about your family history, it's best to talk openly with your doctor about it.

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