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Diabetes in the parents of children with Type I diabetes

I F Douek1, K M Gillespie, P J Bingley

  • 1Diabetes and Metabolism, Division of Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

Diabetologia
|May 29, 2002
PubMed

Insights

This study found that diabetes in parents of children with Type I diabetes is often autoimmune (Type I), not the non-autoimmune Type II diabetes previously assumed. This suggests no excess of Type II diabetes in these families.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Immunology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Previous research indicated a higher prevalence of Type II diabetes in parents of children with Type I diabetes.
  • This observation raised questions about potential shared genetic or environmental factors influencing diabetes development within families.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the clinical and immunogenetic characteristics of diabetes in parents of children diagnosed with Type I diabetes.
  • To critically evaluate the hypothesis suggesting an increased incidence of Type II diabetes among this parental group.

Main Methods:

  • Clinical data from 3164 parents in the Bart's-Oxford study were analyzed.
  • Immunogenetic analysis included islet cell antibodies, GAD, IA-2 antibodies, and HLA class II genotyping in a subset of parents.
  • Diabetes classification was based on clinical presentation and autoantibody measurements.

Main Results:

  • Of 184 diabetic parents, 141 (4.5%) were classified as Type I diabetes based on autoantibodies or insulin use, and 31 (0.98%) as Type II diabetes.
  • Autoimmune markers (islet autoantibodies) were present in 59% of tested parents.
  • A significant proportion of parents initially classified as non-insulin-dependent (Type II) showed evidence of autoimmunity.

Conclusions:

  • Autoimmune diabetes (Type I) can manifest later in life and may not initially require insulin treatment in parents of children with Type I diabetes.
  • The study challenges previous assumptions, indicating no excess of non-autoimmune (Type II) diabetes in families with childhood Type I diabetes.
  • Misclassification of late-onset autoimmune diabetes as Type II diabetes may have occurred in earlier studies.
Abstract

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