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Talia Brown

Professor Leonard

ENG 1201

20 March 2022

How does type 1 diabetes run in a family's genealogy and are there any traits or factors that make

a person more susceptible to developing the disease?

When most people hear the word “diabetes” they do not think of insulin pumps and

constant blood glucose tests. They think of type 2 diabetes which is a similar condition with the

defining difference that type 2 Diabetics are not insulin-dependent. Type 1 diabetes is the

complete failure of the pancreas to produce insulin. It is commonly diagnosed in children but is a

lifelong disease with no known cure, but a successful treatment. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) or

diabetes Mellitus is a rare condition that affects roughly 20 million individuals across the world.

While this may sound like a large number, type 1 diabetes only accounts for roughly 5% of all

Diabetic individuals.

There is little known about the cause and development of type 1 diabetes. Most of the

information that we have has been researched in recent years. Genetic and social factors can play

a role in the development of type 1 diabetes. Many studies have been conducted on how T1D is

inherited in families along with the role of outside social factors.

Diabetes can run in families but there is no genetic guarantee that a family with a history

of T1D will continue to pass it down. This is because “Diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1) itself is

not inherited, but a predisposition to developing the condition can run in families” (Diabetes

mellitus type 1). A family history of type 1 diabetes does increase the risk but is not an

assurance of development. A genetic variant is responsible for the increased risk of T1D.
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A combination of genetic variants in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex

controls the majority of T1D risk. The human leukocyte antigen encodes proteins called major

histocompatibility complexes (MHC). (Genetic Landscape Diabetes). There are two main

categories of MHC chains made up of amino acids, one being antigens. Immune cells, often

referred to as T cells, are crucial in the immune system as they analyze antigens. T cells will bind

to viruses, bacteria, or tumor cells and attack. This is the desired response when the immune

system is presented with an infectious organism; not what happens in autoimmune diseases like

diabetes. In diabetic individuals their T cells will register healthy cells as well as other parts of

the body, like the pancreas, causing the pancreas to fail. This genetic abnormality is what caused

type 1 diabetes.

Outside factors, or social factors, are also thought to play a role in the development of

type 1 diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, environmental components

such as cold weather could play a part as more people are diagnosed in the winter than in the

summer. (Genetics of Diabetes) Early diet may be involved in the development of diabetes.

Statistics show that“...type 1 diabetes is less common in people who were breastfed and in those

who first ate solid foods at later ages” (Genetics of Diabetes). Mostly, however, studies reveal

that those with diabetes had certain antibodies that had attacked the body's own tissues years

before diagnosis. (Genetics of Diabetes)

Type 1 diabetes can not be prevented regardless of what a blog may say. It is an

autoimmune disease that can be triggered by several social and genetic factors. Researchers are

continuing to do studies on those recently diagnosed to find out what happened and why. (Type 1

Diabetes) Type 2 diabetes is preventable and well as curable with a healthy lifestyle and diet.

There is not, however, a cure or guard, to type 1 diabetes that is known.

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Overall, type 1 diabetes is a rare disorder that is caused by the failure of the pancreas to

produce insulin. The body attacks itself in a confused attempt to fight off a foreign substance in

the body. This can be caused by genetic and social components which trick the body into

attacking itself. Diabetes can also be caused by certain antibodies found in the bloodstream years

before diagnosis. There is no known cure or prevention for this disease but can be treated with

injections of insulin regularly.

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Works Cited

American Diabetes Association. “Genetics of Diabetes.” Diabetes.org, 2019,

www.diabetes.org/diabetes/genetics-diabetes.

Dean, Laura, and Jo McEntyre. “Genetic Factors in Type 1 Diabetes.” Nih.gov, National Center

for Biotechnology Information (US), 7 July 2004,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1662/.

“Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 | Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) – an

NCATS Program.” Nih.gov, 2014, rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/10268/diabetes-

mellitus-type-1.

Films Media Group. (2011, February 1). Type 1 Diabetes. [electronic resource]: The Sinclair

Library collections [Video]. A.D.A.M. Inc.

“Type 1 Diabetes - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-

conditions/type-1-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20353011#:~:text=There.