Can diabetes skip a generation?!

Can diabetes skip a generation?

for the last 5 generations my family have developed unstable diabetes around the age of 50-55 years of age - which needs regular insulin. my mother and her sister and brother have not got it. can it skip a generation and i can get it .my own father was also diabetic, so is there a strong link, gp keeps testing me for it.
grans had it for 45 years and i have seen the effects it can have and the close monitering it needs and i'm a little scared really as life is fast approaching that age. i know it can be treated affectively. has anyone else been scared they might also get it, how did you cope.

2 weeks ago
my dad did have it but the diabetes was on my mothers side of the family just to clarify

While there is a strong genetic correlation with type 2 diabetes, there really isn't with type 1.

I'm a type 1 diabetic...and the only known diabetic of any type in my family...going back 4-5 generations. There is no history of the disease in my family and my parents were shocked when I was diagnosed.

Since diabetes does seem to run in your family, it would be a good idea to get tested.

Diabetes can pop up anywhere in a family tree. It doesn't necessarily hit every generation...or every other generation. It can just happen. Type 2 seems to show a strong genetic connection. Type 1 tends to be random, often hitting without warning or obvious cause. Type 1 mainly hits in the childhood, teen and early adult years. It is rare for it to happen after age 30 but not unheard of. Type 2 is more common in the adult years, often occuring after age 40. Here again, it DOES happen in the childhood years...in recent years, this is becoming even more common. Type 2 is mainly related to poor diet, lack of exercise and body weight. Type 1 results from the body's inability to produce insulin. It is an autoimmune disorder.

As for coping with diabetes...should you one day develop it...remember this: there are a lot of diseases that can take your life...diabetes can take OVER your life...whether or not you let it is up to you.

For more statistics and the latest information, check out diabetes.org. That is the website for the American Diabetes Association.

EMT