Stumble It!
Type I Diabetes ― a Viral Thing?
Here’s something I’ve been curious about for a long time. For a while I’ve been corresponding with a number of adult “late-onset” Type 1 (LADA) diabetics like myself who were told their disease manifested itself due to a virus. Strange, but a leading theory…
I looked into this and discovered that the medical profession is pretty much still baffled about why people get Type 1 diabetes as adults. If we have the “genetic propensity,” then why doesn’t it manifest itself sooner? Adult-onset does appear to be more and more frequent, but why should this be if Type 1 is not brought on by poor diet or lifestyle?
Here’s one excellent link about What Causes Type 1 Diabetes from the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Essentially this site tells us that “some researchers believe one or more viral infections may trigger the disease in genetically susceptible individuals.” These researchers suggest:
* An infection introduces a viral protein that resembles a beta-cell protein
* T cells and antibodies are tricked by this resemblance into attacking the beta protein as well as the virus
* Two people may be infected with the same virus and only one of them who is genetically prone will go on to develop diabetes
* Among the viruses under scrutiny (suspected of triggering the Big D) are enteric viruses, which attack the intestinal tract. Coxsackieviruses are an enteric virus of particular interest.
* BUT: One study has suggested that respiratory infection during a child’s first year may actually be protective against diabetes, perhaps priming the immune response so that it is better able to respond to alien organisms later on.
Gotcha. As usual, the theory sounds quite reasonable, but there is also intriguing evidence to suggest the opposite.
What have we learned?
It does seem pretty clear that adult-onset Type 1 is brought about by the killer combo of genetic programming and some kind of physical weakness, if you will. In my case, I was totally run down and probably would have been hospitalized for advanced-stage Rock-Star exhaustion if the diabetes hadn’t hit me first. Ugh…
A few more links of interest that discuss the virus theory include:
NewFitness on types of diabetes
Diabetes Health on seasonal risk factors
HaaretzDaily.com on birth season and diabetes risk
Not only medically, but psychologically, the quest for WHY is always essential… no?
Explore posts in the same categories: Diabetes Essentials
Wow, this is interesting. I am also a “late onset” type I, I was diagnosed at 31 - I can specifically correlate the symptoms with a period of high stress (Evening MBA along with a stressful job) and viral sickness (bronchitis with a flair up of cold sores).
My biggest fear has always been that my children will inherit the “diabetic gene” and have a greater than normal chance of developing the disease. This would suggest that that may not be true.
Posted by: Revan | September 22nd, 2005 at 1:54 pmWhen I was diagnosed almost two years ago, at age 19, my mother almost went nuts trying to figure out the WHY. She is a biologist, so mostly she was just really interested. When we finally talked about it in detail with the endo (after the hecticness of being hospitalized and starting shots and all that), he started asking me all sorts of questions, and it turns out I’m a textbook example of the virus theory. When travelling in Finland, I picked up a stomach virus that laid me up for a week, and immediately thereafter my symptoms (thirst, weight loss) started. The relevance of Finland is that all of the Scandinavian countries have a much higher percentage, per capita, of type 1 diabetics, so many think that the virus that may be responsible originated there.
Oh, and just as a side note, I fell in love with Finland when I was there (it was my first time). I’ve been back once since, and hope to go again. Seems sort of ironic, falling in love with the country that gave me this darn disease…
Posted by: Jana | September 22nd, 2005 at 3:54 pmI have a very similar subject with a different format. Please look at
Diabetes News Up-Date
The Spiritual Path
Posted by: Sid Martinez | September 22nd, 2005 at 4:55 pmI was diagnosed on my 22 birthday. I can actually tell you what date I became symptomatic. I have often wondered what combination of events occured to cause my condition. In the month before symptoms appeared, I made 2 changes: 1. I was put on synthroid. 2. Started seeing a chiropractor. Was there a relation there? Who knows. The thyroid is part of the endocrin (sp?) system. I have often heard that a major health event triggers Type I. In childhood it’s usually Chicken Pox. The worked up immune system attacks the insulin producing cells. Hopefully more reasearch can determine some of the cause. Good post.
Posted by: Jay | September 22nd, 2005 at 7:58 pmI feel like its not just for adult onset. B had a virus about 4 months before she was dignosed with Type 1 at almost 2. Very interesting article though. Thanks, as always Amy, for all of your enlightenment.
Posted by: D double E | September 23rd, 2005 at 11:41 amDee
I remember…a couple of summers before i was diagnosed, I felt sick a whole summer and all i did was sleep the whole day of my vacation before starting college in september that was in 1996 after that i started losing weight, and i remember i dont exactly remember when i started peeing a lot until the summer of 2000….I was diagnosed November of 2000 age 25. but if i went to the doc in 1996 i wonder if I had it then and just didnt know.
Posted by: Gina | September 23rd, 2005 at 3:57 pmNice to see you following up on our discussion. Just to make some quick notes:
1) Highly stressful job, running projects at GE and CitiGroup
now on insulin
2) Age 37 onset
3) extremely bad flu symptoms
4) followed by what is a classic symptom of diabetes, a frozen shoulder, went through physical therapy
5) started peeing alot
6) lost 30 pds
7) self diagnosed
No family history.
Was a little overweight, not alot.
I strongly believe it was viral.
Posted by: ThePef | September 23rd, 2005 at 9:00 pmIn 1976 there was a bad strain of flu going around called the hong kong flu. I ended up with the flu then right after that type 1 diabetes set in.
Posted by: Joanna | September 30th, 2005 at 9:54 pm29 years later i have no major compilcations.
Wow, and I thought my case was strange :o)
Diagnosed with 27 years old. Living abroad with a very stressful job (the never-ending software project that kept us up everyday until 2AM), and far away from relatives, friends and girlfriend. All this during mid-Winter and with several colds and digestive problems…
Also, no family history.
Keep it up. Cool blog.
Posted by: alfredo | October 6th, 2005 at 1:45 amGreetings from London!
I was diagnosed 6 months ago and have been a bit confused as to what might have caused my diabetes so it’s great to find some fellow ladas here! Google doesn’t throw up any similar blogs based in the UK, so three cheers for the yanks!
I was initially diagnosed as type 2 but then tested positive for GAD antibodies and a recent C-peptide test indicated a low insulin level so I now know I’m lada, type 1.5 or ‘grumbling type 1′ as my endo calls it! I’ve heard conflicting theories about whether it’s genetic - there’s a fair bit of type 2 in my family but no type 1, which seems odd - but none of my doctors have mentioned the viral theory. I did have a bout of the nastiest flu I’ve ever experienced about four months prior to diagnosis and have often wondered if it was connected.
Am now in the ‘honeymoon’ period and controlling my blood sugar with diet and exercise. It’s quite strange having this feeling that there’s a countdown going on in the islets of langerhans (beautiful name - sounds like they should distill whisky there!), but I don’t have any idea how long it will last.
I was also alarmed by some of the blood sugar readings you guys were mentioning til I realised we use a different system to you! My initial readings at diagnosis were around 16 but I’m averaging 6 now, which I’m told is near non-diabetic levels.
Anyway, nice to be in the company of people in the same, or at least similar boats. You all seem a chirpy bunch, which makes me feel more optimistic about the future.
Cheers!
Posted by: Simon | October 14th, 2005 at 11:37 amHello Simon! We do our best to chirp; sometimes it just comes out like a whine. But you’re in good company
Posted by: AmyT | October 14th, 2005 at 5:09 pmWelcome…
I was diagnosed today! I have just joined the LADA ranks (shame about the name, a cheap Eastern European car).
I’m type 1.5, my brother has had type one for 30 years and I’m 36. I have been on insulin for a week and am acheiving great control with low levels of Glargine. This is the honeymoon though and I know the day will come when the insulin will have to go up. I’m mentally prepared though and am lucky that I had the knowledge of diabetes from my brother. I watched him pratice by injecting oranges.
I didn’t have any viral symptoms, but I did move to Singapore three months before being diagnosed from the UK. Not sure if that’s related at all.
I’ll keep reading this site, it has helped over the last couple of weeks since my symptoms set in.
Matt
Posted by: Matt Pasterfield | December 18th, 2005 at 8:10 pmThis all sounds so familiar. And if you let me set the plate with my background, I think I can contribute some great information. I am a Type I LADA diabetic. I am 40 and was diagnosed at the end of November 2005. I had a fasting blood sugar of 498 when diagnosed. I was initially misdiagnosed with Type II, and then like the gent from London tested positive for antibodies.
Like others here, I was really pushing the limit with the sale of my company looming, business booming and my infant just becoming a toddler. I thought the weight lose (27 pounds in 90 days) was from buring the candle at booth ends, but when I took a break and things got worse, I knew I had to see the doctor.
I have been treated a priamry who specializes in diabteics as well as my local endo and I have been a part of a study at the Joslin Clinic where I feel I have learned a lot (I am also a member now of the Elliot P. Joslin Society - you should all give what you can toward the fight for a cure).
When misdiagnosed I was placed on Avandamet (Avandia & Metformin). Avandia is an insulin sensitizer and not intended for Type I use, but I showed great benefit (it takes 6-8 weeks to see full effect). So my primary & endo kept me classified as a type II for insurance reasons with the theory that if it is working, stick with it. I found out in February through Joslin that a recent study shows that TZD use (Avendia is in the TZD class of drugs) can increase beta cell mass, and can prolong the honeymoon period for LADA patients for at least up to two years (as measured in C-Peptide levels vs. non-TZD LADA patients), and perhaps longer (the study has only been going for two years). I have responded wonderfully with just diet change, metformin and TZD use. My sugars are fasting 70 to 100 and post meal 120 to 180, and this is without insulin. It will come to an end, but it seems that TZD use is prolonging my honeymoon period.
The studies I have participated in at Joslin revolve around the new idea for a cure for Type I which is immune modulation. In short, they have proven that if the immune system is suppressed that your pancreas will recreate beta cells. But complete immune suppression is not a safe practice (for obvious reasons). As such the new focus is on finding a method to modulate the immune system to only hold off the T-Cells that attack the pancreas and then foster regeneration of the cells.
I could write far more than a blog is comfortable for reading, but there are some promising new things on the horizon, and I love to share what I have learned and learn more from others
Posted by: Pat | May 2nd, 2006 at 10:13 amMy Dad was diagnosed with Type 1 at 70 years old. Retired at 40 so no stress there. He is extremely thin and started losing muscle weight over the first year of so of diagnosis. Is now, at 73 moving into Alzheimer’s. Don’t know what my Mum is going to go through. They live overseas. Any suggestions at sites I can read about the link between the two or how it is managed?
Posted by: lisa | September 24th, 2006 at 6:47 amHi there! My husband was diagnosed at 25 and I have to be honest…I spend way to much time trying to figure out what the heck happend. First, his mother has been diagnosed with lupus which leads me to believe that he has this autoimmunie gene. Second, I’ve been reading about the Hep B shot and how they have done studies to prove it has caused s “very” slight increase in type 1 and we believe my husband has his Heb B a year before he was diagnoesed.
I’m wondering if anyone has done research one how likely this can be passed down to our children. I’ve read that our children will have a 1 in 17 chance but many haev said that becuase he was LADA it is unlikely. I would love to hear that there is merit to that claim? We have a 9 month old who I breastfed as long as I could in hopes that it give him some resistance.
Im’ also wondering if anyone has some research on the Hep B theroy? Thanks!
Posted by: Mary Smothers | October 23rd, 2006 at 6:03 pmHi there! My husband was diagnosed at 25 and I have to be honest…I spend way to much time trying to figure out what the heck happend. First, his mother has been diagnosed with lupus which leads me to believe that he has this autoimmunie gene. Second, I’ve been reading about the Hep B shot and how they have done studies to prove it has caused s “very” slight increase in type 1 and we believe my husband has his Heb B a year before he was diagnoesed.
I’m wondering if anyone has done research one how likely this can be passed down to our children. I’ve read that our children will have a 1 in 17 chance but many haev said that becuase he was LADA it is unlikely. I would love to hear that there is merit to that claim? We have a 9 month old who I breastfed as long as I could in hopes that it give him some resistance.
Im’ also wondering if anyone has some research on the Hep B theroy? Thanks!
Posted by: Mary Smothers | October 23rd, 2006 at 6:03 pmI was diagnosed in Feb. 2005 as being diabetic, following a drastic 40 lb weight loss. My hometown had just been destroyed by Hurrican Charley in August of 2004, and then I went down with the worst case of bronchitis I have ever had in my life, viral! My doctor and I agreed the two had something to do with MY PANCREAS ALMOST COMPLETELY SHUTTING DOWN! I now take metformin and occasional insulin injection. Good days and bad, this is all still new to me. NO HISTORY
Posted by: Hilary Caskey | January 10th, 2007 at 7:56 amMy son is only 11, jsut was diagnosed Type 1 and he did have coxsackie virus about a year and a half ago…..I often wonder if he did not get that virus, would he be diabetic now? If there is a link, they should make a vaccination to prevent Coxsackie…
Posted by: Chistine | September 19th, 2007 at 2:39 pmMy daughter has just been diagnosed with Type I diabetes. She’s 38 and went to her OB for something else totally unrelated and almost casually mentioned that she’d lost several pounds over the preceding several days, was also “peeing gallons” throughout the night for the immediately preceding few nights and gulping down tons of oj in the AM — apparently classic symptoms. Otherwise she felt fine, but after they read her tests, they were amazed she hadn’t collapsed from it. She’s now giving herself shots but has no idea if they’re the right dosage of whatever she should be on because her counts are still up and down, though not as dangerous as they apparently were. She’s trying to monitor how she feels throughout the day, before and after the shots, recording it all and reading everything she can get her hands on while she’s waiting for an appointment at the Joslin (she lives in Boston, fortunately). She’s currently with a doctor not at the Joslin who seems pretty cavalier about her concerns and fears, from what she’s told me.
One of the things she’s read is about a viral infection triggering the onset. Amazing.
What I’m anxious to hear anyone here comment on is the costs connected with treatment and whether or not group insurance typically covers them. Above, I noted that someone said her/his doctor continued to identify that person’s diabetes as Type 2 for insurance purposes. Does this mean insurance companies simply don’t cover adult-onset Type 1 care adequately? If not, why not?
Also, what is the “honeymoon” period several have referred to?
There’s no Type 1 diabetes in my family, though her father developed Type 2 several years ago. My daughter and her husband are understandably concerned about the risk to their two boys (ages 5 & 7).
Any information provided would be greatly appreciated, about the Joslin, particular doctors, studies, or anything else that you think would be helpful to know or consider. TIA.
Posted by: barbara | October 16th, 2007 at 10:34 pmHi there, my 10 yr old son was diagnosed type 1 in august 2007. Doctors say the cause is probably viral but he was fit & well before diagnosis. My little man was bullied at school and as a result he used to get very upset and stressed. I just wondered if there is any-one else out there that believes there may be a link between stress and diabetes type 1.
Posted by: julie lavill | October 26th, 2007 at 10:00 pmAmazing! I love this blog. For years I’ve believed that my T1 (now 27 years) was caused by a virus (and also my 7 year old son’s T1) but no doctor I ever talked to would say anything about any connection, even though I asked. Is this because they don’t want to upset the insurance companies or the pharma companies?
Posted by: camille johnson | November 30th, 2007 at 4:12 pmMy history: no family history. At age 32, after 3 successful pregnancies, I took my 2, 4, and 6 year olds hiking in a forest preserve and came down with an itchy rash. I thought my thirst and constant peeing were a bad reaction to the medicine, but when I stopped the meds and the thirst and peeing didn’t stop I returned to my GP and he immediately diagnosed T1. Two years later, my 7 year old son came done with T1 just as fast.
And what’s this about Frozen Shoulder being a common precursor to diabetes. I’ve had Frozen Shoulder in BOTH shoulders but I never heard any connection to diabetes before. btw- my shoulder problems came after I had diabetes 8 and 10 years.
I was diagnosed with Type 1 in June this year. I am 52 and recently stepped down from a very stressful job in an English High School. I developed hypothyroidism at the same time. Since taking insulin, starting in early October, my joints hurt, muscls ache and I have less energy than before I was diagnosed! Currenbtly am off work hoping that things will stablise and I can get back to a normal life.
Posted by: Peter Warner | December 4th, 2007 at 8:55 amI was diagnosed with Type 1 almost two years ago. I was 43 with no family history. I was told by my doctor that a virus probably triggered it or an infection I didn’t know about. That one bothered me, I just couldn’t imagine an infection you wouldn’t know about. One day I saw something on the news about the link between dental problems and overall health. Suddenly, a light went off…of course! Three months before any symptoms began, I had the worst and only toothache of my life. I had known for a few months that there was a problem with the tooth that was hurting, but I had put off going to the dentist. After getting to the dentist, I found out I had an abcess, the tooth needed to come out etc. and I needed to take some atibiotic to kill the infection. I really believe that infection which I didn’t know about may have triggered my Type 1. Moral–Make regular visits to the dentist!
Posted by: Kathy Heaton | January 22nd, 2008 at 7:54 pmI was diagnosed at 27 with “Type 1.5.” Unlike many others, I had not seen a doctor for 10 years before my diagnosis. No significant illnesses in that period at all. (To this day, I rarely get sick). The classic symptoms (30 lb weight loss, unquenchable thirst, frequent urination, drowsiness after meals) made me seek out a doctor. No family history. But, I did have a severe case of chicken pox when I was 3 that I almost died from (chicken pox, plus two staph infections, plus cellulits, very high fever for a week, I still have the scars). My endocronologist would not venture a guess at what caused my diabetes, though. He never mentioned a viral possibility. This blog is really the first I’ve heard the term LADA or heard any theories of what causes our condition. Anyone know if it is getting more common? I know a couple other people with it, but not many.
Posted by: Brian | January 28th, 2008 at 8:28 amWow, I didn’t know that (viral infection) I was diagnosed at age 21, 4 months after I came to United States from Slovakia. I do not remember having a viral infection, I just remember having a stresfull time at the host family, where I was supposed to spend a year as an au-pair, so my doctor sugested that might be a trigger to my diabetes. Does my age count as LADA and does that mean, my children will be healthy and will not be at risk of developing a diabetes? I am 29 now, no history of diabetes in my family. I still hate it having this disease, I am getting my blood sugars under control, but I think I’ll never get used to being a diabetic.
Posted by: Jana | January 28th, 2008 at 11:42 amI was diagnosed as a type 1 in August 06.
I feel that this diagnoses was strongly related to high levels of stress that I went through for around a 3 to 4 month period. It’s a long story. Relationship related.
Anyway I was also very upset at my doctor, because when he gave me this final diagnoses of being a type 1 diabetic, he told me on that day that I was a pre diabetic back in February when i had blood work done. He never called me to tell me.
I have read and done some of my own research that you can reverse it if you are pre diabetic.
So really I blame my doctor for me becoming a full blown diabetic.
Had he called me in February and told me I was a pre diabetic I could have stoppped it.
Do you think I could take legal action against my doctor?
Posted by: Robert Mcnamara | February 8th, 2008 at 9:54 amI’m 49 now and was diagnosed with LADA 3years ago this month. I was under extreme stress at work in a high school working with developmentally challenged students. originally they tried all the type II meds, But I continued to be very unstable. Finally they put me on nova rapid with meals and 2 shots daily of lantus. I’m a very brittle diabetic and have been on a great insulin pump now for a year. Since I am so brittle the pump has not been able to give me complete stability yet, but I can do more because I can control the insulin. At the same time that I got the diabetes, I went into menopause. I have read that it can also be caused by an immune system attack. I’m very curious about one of the other posts I just read, the person mentioned that they have terrible muscle and joint pain. I also do, and it is not every day but most and it is debilitating. I’m wondering if there is anymore info out there about a connection. I’m currently seeking help with this, with physio and a rhuematoligist.
Posted by: Susan | February 19th, 2008 at 6:46 pm