A look back again at a post from September 2005. The only thing I know of that’s changed on this topic in the past years is the notion that the viral infection at issue was not necessarily a recent one, but rather an illness you may have had years earlier, long before the diabetes reared its ugly head. In any case, you still had to have “the right set of genes,” doctors tell me.
What viral link am I talking about here? Read on…
Type 1 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. Coxsackie viruses 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
NewScientist on infection and diabetes risk
Not only medically, but psychologically, the quest for WHY is always essential… no?
At what age is adult considered adult? I was 23 but can also go back to my college days a few years earlier and see that high blood sugars could have played a part in my inconsistancies as a runner. I guess we’ll never know….
A lot of us PWDs who got type 1 as children remember having serious viral illnesses/stomach bugs in the years & months leading up to diagnosis. I recall having the mother of all flus when I was in 4th grade (to the point where people gasped when they saw how pale & thin I was!), which may have set the meter running for my own diagnosis 3 years later.
I would love to know “why”, but I would also love it if someone could finally figure out how to stop it and step on D’s neck until it’s cold & dead
I was dx’d in 1970 and remember hearing about virus and illness being the trigger for T1. Personally I had scarlet fever about a few mos before that
Great article and information! My husband was 4 when he was diagnosed and he also had an infection a short time before having symptoms of diabetes. A lot of people with T1 mention that, but frustrating that there is no conclusive, solid evidence letting us know how T1′s become diabetic.
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You are correct, the disease may develop from an autoimmune disorder.
When the immune systems starts to function abnormally, due to a viral infection, it sees some of it’s own tissues as foreign. The cells that are targeted are the islet cells of the pancreas. Islet cells produce insulin and when destroyed they are no longer able to perform their necessary function of regulating sugar levels within the body.
I thought the additional information might be helpful.
-Mary
It has a strong genetic component. Its caused when the cells in the pancreas stop producing enough insulin for our body to function properly.
What the doctors thought was Type 1 that started in my 40′s turned out to be diabetes caused by a pheochromocytoma (an adrenal tumor). After surgery it’s gone, 100% cured. I had been so willing to accept that I had Type 1 because I had another autoimmune thing going on (thyroid). Go figure!