Family History Is That a Clue

[bra]

My mom has/had six brothers. Four of her brothers suffer/suffered from diabetes. She had one sister that died of cancer and did not have diabetes. She does not have diabetes herself. Is it possible that diabetes can run in the males and not the females. Is it inherited? Do you need to be possessing one of your parents genes to get it. Is it usual for familys to have diabetes in just one of the genders?

[Team Diabetes]

First of all, I need to know the type of diabetes you family has. The genes and statistics for Type 2 and (autoimmune) Type 1 diabetes are different.

[bra]

I don't know what kind of diabetes and genes they have. My one uncle had his leg amputated before his death so I imagine his diabetes was fairly advanced as he was having issues with his blood flowing in his legs. In the end his sugar levels were dropping and I know nothing other than that.

Two days before he died, the doctors wanted to take off his other leg.....

This has been such a nightmare for me and my mother. Her grief is the saddest thing I've ever experienced.

[Team Diabetes]

Bra, I am so sorry to hear about what you went through with your family.

If you can, read my post on the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 and see if that you help you figure out which type of diabetes your family has.

The good news is, if your family has Type 2 diabetes (the common form), you might be able to prevent it. That means you won't have to suffer. Don't worry, just start making changes now and keep at it.

Eat healthy, frequent small small meals (less meat, less carbs, more whole grains, beans, fish, and veggies), start walking, and cut out things like regular soda and cigarettes if you smoke. You need to take care of the only body you have!

The main thing you need to do is stick with the plan for life, before it's too late.

If your family has (autoimmune) Type 1 diabetes or MODY, unfortunately, that is not preventable, but you CAN still take really good care of your blood sugars as best you can.

I am going to guess your family has Type 2, which means that there is a LOT you can do to help yourself! Up to 80-90% of Type 2 cases can be prevented if caught early and you make the right lifestyle changes!

Being here and asking questions is a great start!

[Dusty]

Sorry to hear about your family bra. Diabetes is a terrible disease but like TD said, it can be controlled and even if you do get it. with the right lifestyle changes and good control you really lower your chances of complications.

Walking is good, weight training is great for building lean muscle mass which means better insulin sensitivity. I eat meat on the average of twice a day, either chicken breast, salmon, lean pork, or lean beef but small 3-4oz. portions. I stay away from grain altogether because it sends my numbers too high. I use flaxseed meal a lot in salads and add it to veggies a lot too.
Biggest thing that helped me was cutting the carbs to the bone.

[jimmys devoted]

I never considered diabetes terrible. I guess growing up with it in my family it was just " natural".

I am 16th generation with it. MY grandparents died at very old ages and my great grandfather was 93 when he died from botche surgey.. he was given no insulin after the surgery. tough old birds in our family.

I was first alluded to having diabetes at 4, when I woudl go in for mysterious shots verey three months , have urine and blood stests. It wasnt until my own dpctor from childhood sent me my records and his notes that it was true. I was full blown diabetic at 4 but no one woudl touch the subject as not to panic my mom. Sufferd for many years with allkinds of strange complications....... Thankfully after 39 years of complications I was put on meds.
Now nothing stoips me.. except for abit of neuropathy in may hands, arms and feet.......

[Team Diabetes]

I never considered diabetes terrible. I guess growing up with it in my family it was just " natural".

I am 16th generation with it. MY grandparents died at very old ages and my great grandfather was 93 when he died from botche surgey.. he was given no insulin after the surgery. tough old birds in our family.

I was first alluded to having diabetes at 4, when I woudl go in for mysterious shots verey three months , have urine and blood stests. It wasnt until my own dpctor from childhood sent me my records and his notes that it was true. I was full blown diabetic at 4 but no one woudl touch the subject as not to panic my mom. Sufferd for many years with allkinds of strange complications....... Thankfully after 39 years of complications I was put on meds.
Now nothing stoips me.. except for abit of neuropathy in may hands, arms and feet.......

Wow. Did you have early onset Type 2 diabetes, or do you have MODY? I guess you would have been considered Type 2, since they didn't know about MODY then.

I am surprised they didn't think you were Type 1 at such a young age (unless your were overweight). Your doctor must have been very smart to realize you were not an autoimmune Type 1! Did you see specialists?

I am glad you have managed to survive this long ok. I know many with MODY at least, often die very young since they do not get proper treatment.

[jimmys devoted]

MODY has been known since about 1929, with the development of insulin. Diabetes History goes back to India and Greek times and they knew that it was around for kids. Amamzing historical stuff out there.

[Team Diabetes]

MODY was not known about until recently with genetic testing that wasn't available before. When insulin was first discovered, there were 2 types of diabetes, "insulin sensitive" (Type 1) and "insulin resistant" (Type 2). This was in 1926.

MODY is not simply Type 2 diabetes in kids. MODY can develop in adults, although it does usually appear in young thin people under age 25. MODY means you have a certain genetic problem that makes you get a rare form of diabetes different from the other types.

Kids with diabetes can have:

Type 1 (autoimmune) diabetes (the most common form in kids)

Type 2 diabetes (now becoming more common in obese kids who eat junk and don't exercise)

MODY, a rare genetic form of diabetes

Before, we knew about "diabetes", but we didn't know their were different types, or didn't know specifics about them. Autoimmune diabetes (Type 1) wasn't discovered to be autoimmune until 1970.

[Team Diabetes]

What is MODY?
Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) is a group of diabetes disorders that affects about 2% of people with diabetes. MODY is often not recognised and people may be treated as Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes by their doctors. MODY has four main characteristics:

Diabetes presents at a young age, usually less than 25 years of age.
MODY runs in families through several generations. A parent with MODY has a 50% chance of passing on MODY to their child. This is called autosomal dominant inheritance.
People with MODY do not always need insulin treatment and can often be treated with diabetes pills or meal planning alone.
People with MODY do not produce enough insulin; this is different to Type 2 diabetes where people frequently produce lots of insulin but don’t respond to their insulin.
Why is MODY important?
MODY was first described by Tattersall (U.K.) (1, 2) and Fajan (U.S.A.) (2) in 1974, after they had noticed a group of young people with diabetes who were treated without insulin 2 years or more after diagnosis. Since the 1970s there has been great interest in MODY as it is a genetic form of diabetes. Each type of MODY is caused by a single gene not working correctly whereas Type 2 diabetes seems to be caused by minor problems in several genes at once. By studying MODY genes (3, 4), scientists can get insights into the mechanisms causing all types of diabetes and potential treatments for diabetes.

The first MODY gene was found in 1992 (5), and there are now six known genes in which defects will cause MODY (4). These genes are for the body’s glucose sensor (glucokinase), and five transcription factors that control the way insulin is produced from the beta cells of the pancreas (HNF-1 alpha, HNF-1 beta, HNF-4alpha, IPF-1, and NEURO-D1). These six genes each produce slightly different forms of diabetes (4, 6).

MODY mutations have been found in many different ethnic groups, with glucokinase and HNF-1 alpha being the commonest types by far. In total MODY makes up between 2-5% of patients with Non-Type 1 diabetes. 15% of MODY patients will not have a known MODY mutation; these people are said to have MODY X, and work is continuing to find the gene disorders responsible (3, 4).

Varieties of MODY
MODY 1 (HNF-4?) Rare form of MODY. Similar effects to MODY 3.


MODY 2 (Glucokinase) Causes between 10-65% of MODY. Causes mild diabetes that rarely causes complications. Can often be treated with meal planning alone. Often diagnosed in childhood or pregnancy.


MODY 3 (HNF-1 alpha) Causes between 20-75% of MODY. Causes progressive diabetes and patients may get diabetes complications. Usually diagnosed after puberty. Sensitive to sulfonylurea drugs.


MODY 4 (IPF-1) Rare form of MODY. Seems to produce relatively mild diabetes.


MODY 5 (HNF-1 beta) Rare form of MODY. Associated with kidney disease that is often diagnosed before diabetes.


MODY 6 (Neuro- D1) Extremely rare form of MODY. Severity of diabetes unknown as yet.
Might I have MODY?
You might have MODY if you have a strong history of diabetes in your family, and you developed diabetes before middle age, you are not overweight, and you are treated on meal planning alone, diabetes pills or on low doses of insulin (less than 0.5 units of insulin per Kg of body weight) more than 18 months after you were diagnosed with diabetes.

Research in MODY
If you live in the U.K. and think you have MODY, there is currently research into MODY going on in Birmingham and Exeter. We are currently looking for families with a child who might have MODY to look for further genes for MODY. If you want further information on this study, please contact:

Dr. John Porter BA (Hons) (Oxon) MBBS MRCPCH
Diabetes U.K. Clinical Research Fellow
Birmingham Children's Hospital
e-mail: j.porter[at]bham.ac.uk

[jimmys devoted]

My family ahs a long history of diabetes and thats houdl ahve been a clue when I was younger and showing signs.
I think so many doctors just dont see whats in front of them and in many ways teh family has to be even more vigil in knowing what can be passed dwon, what is beinging to show and what is available.

Family history is a big key!



I found out something very interesting.
I was taking a CME the otherday......... I need 40 AMAm points.. anyway.......... I disocvered that diabets care and diabetes information varies by countries. Not to any major extent but many protocols and basic information can cause a problem for a diabetic going from one country to another.

Insulin use is a big factor too some insulin informationa dn types and styles differ from country to country.

[cassiem0221]

I can tell I will be in this forum reading for hours on end! LOL I am going to see if I can find out what kind of diabetes runs on my side and my husbands. This information should help me do just that.

[jhellie_baby]

Having a family history of diabetes might make you a prospect for the disease. It is best to have your blood sugar checked regularly so you can manage the disease in its early stage.

[Florentin]

I now at least a family where the mom AND the daughter both have it
It is passed on, no?

[manojjonam10]

There is a possibility that one family member has diabetes, because they might have inherited genes which one of the ancestors of them had.The research is still in developing stages and it is hard to tell about the issue.

[patrol71]

My grandparents on both my mom's and dad's side had Type 2 diabetes, and several of my uncles and aunts on both sides have had the disease. Now, my dad has it, but I currently do not. Although, I believe I am more susceptible of getting diabetes since it does run in my family, I don't believe I'm doomed. Right now, I am doing everything I can to stay informed and healthy.

[tsugumi]

Family history can sometimes be an indication of your chances of getting diabetes, but there is also a chance of it not happening. I think it can depend on how many of your family members on both sides of the family have it and your habits, too.

[ramesh68]

Hi bra

Greetings


Its very interesting question and I am also facing the same kind of situation and I worried a lot. The situation is when your parents are diabetic then there is a chance for us to get and the chances are nearly 60%. We are in high risk group (HRG) of getting diabetic. In your case if you get diabetes then it is out of hereditary. Anyhow please make a visit to endocrynologist and get the info.


Thanks

[Prosibillonry]

When you refer to your family, you mean your parents, right? Just clarifying, because medical schools consider both your personal household income and your parents income.