Rising rates of diabetes

Although type 1 diabetes accounts for only 10% of diabetes cases in adults, it is the most common form of diabetes in children. Rates of type 1 diabetes among children are increasing in most countries.

The disease is usually caused by the body’s own immune system attacking insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Devoid of insulin, the body cannot use glucose to provide energy and the missing insulin has to be provided artificially.

What causes type 1 diabetes is not fully understood, although genetic and environmental factors are involved. Among environmental factors, birthweight, viral infections, early diet, weight gain in infancy and chronic stress have been proposed as possible causes.

Serious life events

Swedish researchers set out to investigate whether emotional shocks – sometimes called serious life events – can increase the risk of type 1 diabetes in children.

A range of traumatic experiences were included in this analysis such as the death of a relative, domestic violence, parental divorce and having to adapt to new family environments.

The study, published in the journal Diabetologia, looked at 10,495 children from southeast Sweden, of whom 58 were subsequently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Causes

The authors go on to discuss the reasons why serious life events may trigger type 1 diabetes. One possible explanation is that the trauma could create increased insulin resistance coupled with an increased demand for insulin due to stress. Another might be an imbalance in the body’s immune system as a result of long periods of stress which might lead to the immune system turning on the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

The authors conclude: “As experience of stressful life events cannot be avoided, children and their parents should get adequate support to cope with these events to avoid their consequences, which could include medical issues.”

Reaction

Commenting on the study in an emailed statement, Dr Richard Elliott, Diabetes UK research communications manager, says: “The causes of type 1 diabetes are highly complex and involve an auto-immune attack brought on by a combination of inherited genes and environmental triggers such as early diet or viral infection, which are still not fully understood.

“This research adds to our understanding of the potential role of psychological stress during childhood as one of these triggers. It is important to note that, while instances of stress might coincide with or even contribute to a diabetes diagnosis, it is highly unlikely that such events would be the only cause, and having a history of type 1 diabetes in your family is still a much more important risk factor.”