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T1 "virus as being the most likely trigger," said Diabetes UK.

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Amity Island

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Saw his quote today in a newspaper article about living with T1 diabetes. This cause, is something which has been mentioned on this forum by a few members. So I guess, I caught T1 diabetes in my last year at Uni when I was 23.

"To date, the strongest evidence points towards a virus as being the most likely trigger," said Diabetes UK.

 
15 times a day! James Norton, actor, human pin cushion... 😳

You can’t ‘catch’ diabetes, it’s not contagious - thankfully! 🙂

Back in the mists of time, when I was dx, I read that T1ers are born with a genetic predisposition to developing the condition (but this won’t necessarily happen); then there’s a group of viruses that a person might come into contact with (in my case, the mumps in 1996, and gastroenteritis in 2005) which can push the body into a state of autoimmunity. Finally, the next time a virus sneaks into the body, the immune system attacks the pancreas’s Beta cells instead of the virus...and the rest is pin cushion history.:(😉

Please come along soon @mikeyB with your superior knowledge.:D
 
Told me a virus too, which the hospital put down to my having had a gastric bug in the Jan/Feb, before being diagnosed in the August and which they cross examined me about several times - I threw up, had the runs and a painful belly, had a home visit from the doc and the GP signed me off work for a week. Had some tablets off her - can't remember what they were, why don't you ask the surgery? No idea whether they ever did or not.
 
I was told it was probably a multi-trigger - ie more than one thing. That makes sense to me because viruses are usually shared between siblings yet not all get Type 1, and other studies have suggested an interaction with cows milk, gluten, vitamin D, etc.

There was also something about the gut bacteria too - a change in them leading to diabetes. Connected to that is Type 1 risk changing if you move countries. - that is, it becomes the same as the country you live in not the country of your birth.
 
Mumps was one thing I never had as a child - my sister didn't either, neither did either of us have German measles. She'd brought me measles home from school when I was really little and had had whooping cough before I was born - possibly before I was conceived. Only thing I really remember having was chicken pox cos I was 7.
 
I was diagnosed T1 (it was called IDD back then!) at the age of 43 following a particularly nasty bout of flu. To my eternal embarrassment I didn't at first recognise the symptoms even though my brother had been T1 for 10 years! We're not aware of any previous history in the family, but if there isn't a genetic element it is a fairly remarkable coincidence.
 
Sadly the medics have been in denial about viruses and T1; they'll catch-up eventually! My story is that I offered myself to Roche for drug trials as I was out of work. I was rejected as I had high cholesterol (!) and a high white cell count indicating inflammation somewhere. I assume they tested my BS as well. Within a year I was diagnosed with diabetes. In retrospect I realise I had a slight ache in my abdomen for 6 months prior to my rejection by Roche (pancreatitis?). My GAD is negative so I suspect a virus. I have a colleague who became T1 following a liver virus.
 
@JJay There is a genetic element but, I was told, that isn’t the main driver. You’ll see the quote “20% genes, 80% environment” in relation to Type 1. That is, environment is the main cause. I’m not sure if I’m remembering the figure correctly but of 10 people born with the Type 1 genes only one person will develop it. There are also figures about identical twins. Again, I might be slightly misremembering the figures but it’s something like if one identical twin has a Type 1, the other twin has only a 50% of developing despite sharing exactly the same genes.
 
@JJay There is a genetic element but, I was told, that isn’t the main driver. You’ll see the quote “20% genes, 80% environment” in relation to Type 1. That is, environment is the main cause. I’m not sure if I’m remembering the figure correctly but of 10 people born with the Type 1 genes only one person will develop it. There are also figures about identical twins. Again, I might be slightly misremembering the figures but it’s something like if one identical twin has a Type 1, the other twin has only a 50% of developing despite sharing exactly the same genes.
Sounds about right! Yes, I'm sure it was the virus wot done it and our "genetic element" is very minor indeed
 
I've always wondered about genes though again, nothing known. But - my dad had a younger sister who 'was always a sickly child' and died aged approx 12-ish. No idea what reason given. This would have been in the late 1920s/early 1930s. Not sure of dates at all. His mother had also died well before my sis and I were born, dad said 'of heart trouble' but again, no dates. No idea on his mother's side of the family either.

Once in my life when I was about 7 and dad had use of a works car (a black Morris Minor) we dropped in on his cousin on that side who lived in Bromsgrove and worked at Longbridge, and that was that.
 
In short the below is not hard proof of anything, but the history of my diagnosis and discoveries along the way.

My diagnosis was in 1997 when I was aged 9.
My parents were separated but the cause was a huge question mark for everyone. I have a large family on my dad's side and fairly small on my mums side.

Both sides of the family were out on a limb to climb family trees looking for any sign or history of Type 1 and as far back as 18xx something and various data found couldn't conclude Type 1 was present (granted medical advancements have come a long in the last 20 years let alone 100+, so who knows)

Around the exact time I was diagnosed 1 of our family dogs had died. I was devastated, they was the biggest part of my life as a child and were amazing animals. The earliest memories I have today as still with the dogs.
This being a huge shock to my system. (My dad has always hoped to find out how or why and to this day keeps his eye out and researches things. I have tried to tell him many times (He to some degree feels responsible as a parent) that it's not anyone's fault and to stop beating himself up over.

But he came across something a few years ago that peaked my interest.
'Some believe that it can be caused by an emotional shock, a fright or a trauma. Experts say these factors do not directly cause diabetes, but it is possible that they can harm one's general health and, if someone has the disease without knowing it, it could make the illness apparent.'

Personally I am torn on the subject and at this point it would be nice to know, but I am done chasing the reason to why me nowadays, but I over the years have met 4 other people with type 1 diabetes that feel the above is true/bares truth or is on the right direction for them and they believe there is something behind it, just as my dad to this day does.

The person i am day is someone who looks at facts and proven truths. So wild accusations and non proven statements i find hard to rally behind in every walk of life.
 
I was diagnosed in 1981 aged 15 after 6 months of what you would say were classic symptoms which I believe would have been picked up much sooner in today’s world. This was following the sudden death of my mother who sadly passed away from acute pancreatitis (drink induced). The doctors suggested the shock to my system was a probable cause of my T1 but I guess there could also have been a genetic predisposition especially given that her pancreas had probably been suffering for some time. A good friend of my time was T1 diagnosed 10 years ago and he had been struggling with a virus which they suggested was the reason of his onset. We’re all different I guess.
 
...and, if someone has the disease without knowing it, it could make the illness apparent.

@Frank87 Thats what my consultant said basically. I used to be obsessed with finding out the cause, and had been trying to think of everything that had happened prior to my diagnosis. I asked about a virus and my consultant said “Well, a virus might be the cause, but it won’t be the virus you’re thinkIng of because any damage will have happened years ago probably.”

They said that there was often an ‘event’ that pushed the remaining islets over the edge and led to them no longer being able to control the blood sugar, but that that ‘event’ hadn’t actually caused the Type 1. The causal event or events would have been a fair time earlier - sometimes years earlier.

That, of course, makes finding the actual cause harder eg my friend developed Type 1 during pregnancy, but it wasn’t the pregnancy that caused it. Something had happened earlier in her life that initiated the process of Type 1 development, and the additional strain of pregnancy finished off enough of the remaining islets to make her unable to control her blood sugar. Likewise for colds, flu, viruses, stress, medication, etc.

To me the cause matters because then we can try to stop children and adults coming into contact with the trigger(s) and going on to develop Type 1.
 
I caught the mumps from one of my students when I was working in Madrid @trophywench - I was 30 years old! 😳
 
@Inka
To me the cause matters because then we can try to stop children and adults coming into contact with the trigger(s) and going on to develop Type 1.
The one worry that sticks in mind, is that because of being type 1 my daughter 'could' develop type 1 due to me passing on the gene. Other than that, I have made my peace with it myself.
 
Well in my 30s I saw my GP cos by then they'd introduced the German measles vaccine and for some reason every other young woman in our office (5 floors of open plan offices all of which I'd have to visit most days of the week, just go over to the person's desk and discuss whatever it was) seemed to be preg, plus in the cul de sac where we lived the infant and junior schools that 10 of the neighbours' kids went to had an outbreak of GM I thought it might be a good idea to get the jab. He said yes, but first he'd rather test my blood to see if I was immune. Turned out I was immune - and he said that must mean I'd already had it.

So who knows about mumps? Your guess etc.
 
@Inka

The one worry that sticks in mind, is that because of being type 1 my daughter 'could' develop type 1 due to me passing on the gene. Other than that, I have made my peace with it myself.
Was a concern of mine. GP recently said to me that the risk is still very low. If the risk is 1% for the child of a non-T1 parent (as he advised it is) then he felt the risk was double the risk for the child of a T1 parent - on that basis there is still only a 2% chance of our children being subsequently diagnosed as T1.
 
I was born with it (1976) and it disappeared around the age of 3.5yrs old. It reappeared just before my 15th birthday. I never had any symptons, it was by chance, due to a change in GP and a medical that it was found. Having taken part in a research study, along with my family, I was found to have Transneonatal Diabetes with a 6q24 chromosome error (from my father side). I believe there is only around 150 know cases worldwide. I have no children but these would have a 50:50 chance of getting diabetes.
 
Mine was caused by shock definitely, I was in a pub with my mates they were quite cheap then and had to go to the toilet. Left a full pint on the bar, when I got back my pint had been mineswept look it up.

In shock was taken to the hospital, after blood tests and various other tests Doc said you have T1D and will need to self inject for the rest of your life. I asked what caused that Doc? he said in your case we think it's alcohol, he said you need to think about your lifestyle.

How much do you consume in a day? not much only about 20 pints and a few shorts as chasers, he said right no more shorts and cut the beers by half and then by half in two months time. I said I'll try my best no problem with the shorts do my best with the beer,

My mate picked me up from the hospital 4 days later, where to he said? Pub. He said somethings up I said got to cut down on the booze, no snifters and got to cut the beer by half 😱 are you going to do it? To right I am no snifters and cut the beer by half no problem, 19.5 pints a day and cut it half in two months that'll be 19 pints bit of a struggle but doable.

Look folks I know most of you are wondering how, so many different professionals decisions whose correct?
I've had mumps, chicken pox, measles, shingles, scar on my left lung due to measles, piles and goodness knows what. Pick one that caused T1D? not possible is it?

As my Consultant/Endocrinologist says some people are just unlucky.

Enjoy the story just a bit of banter, keep treating your D with respect and if you have children with the condition keep them safe and controlled, take care stay safe.
 
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