Ok been thinking about this a lot recently. Per Joslin's my children have a base 1 in 10 chance of developing T-1. If my thyroid issue is autoimmune related, which due to having multiple autoimmune endocrine problems on both sides of my family (Addison's, T-1, Thyroid) of my family I am assuming it it is, the chance jumps to 1 in 2.
Now I know of Trialnet and am considering it but the closest hospital working with them is a bit of a drive. On the other hand given the risk factors would (not going to ask should because it should be) insurance cover GAD or c-pep testing for my children if the testing coincided with their yearly wellness check? Or should I just get their A1c check regularly (plan on it any ways)?
Just thought I would let you know Trialnet will send you a kit that you can take locally to your nearest blood draw facility. Trialnet will pay for the facility to spin the blood out and send it off to them. This is how I did it with my son.
I’m not as scientifically astute about my disease as I need to be, should be - but I can tell you that the issue you’re bringing up does not affect just T1 - I believe we’re only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of understanding the genetic / hereditary factors of diabetes. In fact, I believe there are many more types than T1, T2, and LADA (or so-called 1.5).
Diabetes - all 3 types - are all through my family (with most of us, by the way, at normal weight, thank you very much). In my primary family 3 siblings now have both T2 and autoimmune related hypothyroid issues…but many more relatives has one or the other.
No one can tell me that this is not all related and that there is much more to learn.
We seem to be in the middle of an “autoimmune disorder epidemic.” We’re probably suffering from pollution coming at us in so many ways.
There is actually a book on this which I’ve been meaning to grab…and a whole new organization - http://www.aarda.org/. Check out their list of autoimmune diseases! Many PWD have multiples of these.
Some epidemeologists argue that there is a link between Vitamin D supplementation and the development of T1. Of course people in areas with much sunlight will still develop T1 but the likelyhood is much lower. Here is the full lecture about this link.
This is what I done with my kids (but it didn’t work) I tested their bs’s at different times to make sure. Mine was inhearted b/c of soo many family members having Type 1. As I said that didn’t work for me my daughter took Type 1 at 11. See she gotit from her mom. She seems to handel it well at 22 and even told me last year that “It’s not your fault I have Type 1”\ Mom quit blaming yourself" No sweeter words have I ever heard. I done something like theTrialnet with her & her sister but as I say she all of a sudden got sick taken to the ER and the 1st thing I told the dr was to test her bs. Looks like I made the right call on that one. Her bs was 345.
Type 1 diabetes progresses from having antibodies (markers that the immune system is attacking the pancreas) first and then to loss of insulin producing cells. It is only when you have lost a lot of the insulin producing cells that the blood sugar increases. In type 1 diabetes, the blood sugar first increases after meals. It is much later in the disease process that the fasting blood sugar increases, and in almost all cases the HbA1c will not be abnormal until the fasting glucose is abnormally high. So, testing to see if HbA1c is abnormal is very late in the disease process…. If you want to know risk, get tested for antibodies!
I just read that info on statistics. I never really looked into this before. Just to clarify, the article from Joslin’s said that if a parent has T1 and another autoimmune disorder, than the child has a 1 in 2 chance of also developing some type of autoimmune endocrine disorder, not necessarily T1D. Hopefully that will put your mind at ease. I am a little nervous about having kids since I’m T1D and my husband has two first cousins who are also T!D and a few grandparents with T2D. I also have hashimoto’s disease, so I’m in this group with you. Good luck!
