Is Diabetes Hereditary?

It is common perception that when one or both of the parents are diabetic, there is a high chance that the kids could develop diabetes too. Many tend to think that the reason why they have the condition is because diabetes runs in their family but is diabetes really hereditary?

There are three different types of diabetes, Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational. Read on to find out the hereditary risks for each type of diabetes.

Hereditary Risk for Type 1 Diabetes

Yes, most Type 1 Diabetes cases do tend to be inherited. Parents with Type 1 diabetes can pass on the gene to their kids. If the child inherits the genes for Type 1 diabetes, then he or she could become diabetic at some point of his or her life.

According to statistics, if both parents have Type 1 diabetes, then there is approximately a 30 percent chance that a child could develop the condition. If only the mother has Type 1 diabetes, then there is a 3 percent chance that any of the offspring will be diabetic. If only the father has Type 1 diabetes, then there is a 5 percent chance that any of kids will get the disease. If 1 sibling has Type 1 diabetes, there is an 8 percent chance that a kid will also develop Type 1 diabetes.

Unlike the more common Type 2 Diabetes, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and the actual cause is unknown. However, experts now believe that certain risk factors can trigger autoimmune antibodies activity in Type 1 diabetes patients such as, cold weather and certain viruses.

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