Perhaps one of the most insidious and dangerous diseases of our time is diabetes. No matter how modern and innovative medicine may be, so far it has not been able to find a means to combat it. Every year the number of patients increases, which is due to a number of factors. Is diabetes inherited? This is the question that worries humanity, because it is much more important to prevent the development of the disease than to fight it later on throughout life.
What is diabetes?
The development of pathology is primarily associated with impaired insulin production in the pancreas. This diagnosis is not a sentence. Millions of people around the world continue to live an active and fulfilling life, just following the recommendations of a doctor. But in this case, it is necessary to prepare for serious financial costs, regular visits to doctors and a complete restructuring of the lifestyle under the conditions that the disease dictates. It is impossible to cure diabetes mellitus - this is something that should be understood and remembered, but it’s quite possible to extend your life with the help of modern drugs and improve its quality, this is in everyone’s strength.
Forms of the disease
Classification of diabetes implies the presence of several forms that determine the course of the disease, its features. Currently, experts distinguish two main forms of the disease:
- Type 1 (insulin-dependent diabetes) - diagnosed in patients in whose body either insulin is not produced at all or is produced in insufficient quantities (less than 20%). Type 1 diabetes mellitus is not inherited so often, nevertheless it is an actual topic of discussion;
- Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent diabetes) - insulin in the patient’s body is produced in sufficient quantities, sometimes the production rate may be slightly overestimated, but due to certain processes it is simply not absorbed by the body’s cells.
These are the main forms of the disease, diagnosed in 97% of cases. The insidiousness of diabetes lies primarily in the fact that even a perfectly healthy person, leading the right lifestyle, under the influence of certain circumstances can get sick.
Causes
Insulin is necessary in order to deliver glucose to the cells and tissues of the human body. It, in turn, is a product of the breakdown of food. The source of insulin production is the pancreas. No one is immune from violations in her work, it is then that problems with a lack of insulin begin. Like any disease, diabetes does not appear for no reason.
The following factors are able to increase the likelihood of a manifestation of an ailment:
- heredity;
- overweight;
- pancreatic diseases that provoke metabolic disorders;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- stressful situations that trigger an adrenaline rush;
- excessive alcohol consumption;
- diseases that reduce the ability of tissues to absorb insulin;
- viral diseases, which resulted in a decrease in the protective properties of the body.
Diabetes and heredity
The topic is quite relevant for every person on the planet. To date, there is no exact and unambiguous answer to the question of whether diabetes is inherited. If you delve into this issue, it becomes obvious the transmission of a predisposition to the development of this disease under the influence of the so-called risk factors. In this case, the type of disease can be different, and it will develop in different ways.
The gene responsible for the development of the disease is most often transmitted precisely through the paternal line. However, 100% risk does not exist. It is generally accepted that type 1 diabetes is a hereditary disease, and type 2 diabetes is acquired in 90% of cases. Although numerous studies have shown that patients with type 2 diabetes had sick relatives, even distant ones. This in turn indicates the probability of gene transfer.
Is there a cause for concern
In order to assess the likelihood of infection and the level of predisposition to the development of diabetes, you need to know the history of your entire family. It is difficult to clearly name the disease hereditary, but the predisposition is unequivocally transmitted within the family, most often along the paternal side. If a person has or had people with a similar diagnosis in his family, he and his children are uniquely exposed to the danger identified on the basis of a number of patterns:
- Type 1 diabetes is more common in men than in women;
- An insulin-dependent form can be transmitted through a generation. If grandparents were ill, their children can be completely healthy, but grandchildren are at risk;
- The probability of transmission of T1DM in the case of illness of one parent is on average 5%. If the mother is sick, this indicator is 3%, if the father is 8%;
- With age, the risk of developing T1DM decreases, respectively, in the case of a strong predisposition, a person begins to get sick from early childhood;
- The probability of diabetes in a child in case of illness of at least one of the parents reaches 80%. If both mother and father are sick, then the probability only increases. Risk factors may be obesity, an improper and sedentary lifestyle - in this case, the transmission of diabetes by inheritance is almost impossible to exclude.
The probability of illness of the child
We have already found out that in most cases the gene for diabetes is inherited from the father, but this is the predisposition, and not the disease itself. In order to prevent its development, it is necessary to control the condition of the baby, the level of sugar in the blood, eliminate all risk factors.
Quite often, future parents wonder whether it is possible to inherit diabetes through blood. It should be recalled that this is not a viral infection, so this probability is completely excluded.
Symptomatology
We tried to answer the question of whether diabetes is inherited. Now is the time to talk about the symptoms of the disease. It is much easier to deal with a disease diagnosed at the initial stage, then you will be able to provide your body with the required amount of insulin without significant restrictions. Currently, the main signs of diabetes mellitus of both types are distinguished, namely they will allow to identify the disease at the initial stage:
- inexplicable feeling of thirst, frequent urination, which lead to dehydration;
- dry mouth
- weakness, drowsiness, increased fatigue;
- heart palpitations;
- itching of the skin and genitals;
- sharp weight loss;
- visual impairment.
If you notice one of these symptoms, immediately take a blood sugar test. You can do this at any clinic in your city.
Methods of struggle
If the answer to the question whether diabetes is inherited is ambiguous, then in the case of the probability of cure, everything is very clear. Today it is an incurable disease. But observing the basic recommendations of an observing specialist, you can live a long and fulfilling life. The main tasks that the specialist sets for himself are restoring the insulin balance, preventing and combating complications and disorders, normalizing body weight and educating the patient.
Depending on the type of disease, insulin injections or drugs that lower blood sugar are prescribed. A prerequisite is a strict diet - without it, it is impossible to compensate for carbohydrate metabolism. Self-monitoring of blood sugar is one of the main measures to maintain the optimal condition of the patient.
Prevention
If your relatives are suffering from diabetes mellitus, you are also at risk; you must have passed this gene from your parents. That is why it is necessary to adhere to certain preventive measures that minimize its manifestation. A correct lifestyle will not only delay the disease, but also ensure life without it.
Acquired diabetes is inherited with the same probability as congenital diabetes, which is why it is necessary to undergo examinations, try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and eat right. A visit to specialists will never be superfluous, at least once a year. Remember that diabetes can and should be controlled.