Early trauma ‘triples’ risk of Type 1 diabetes

A traumatic event during childhood can triple the risk of subsequently developing Type 1 diabetes, researchers have concluded.

A new study from Sweden published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) showed ‘serious life events’ in childhood, such as death or illness in the family, divorce or separation, a new child or adult in the family or conflicts in the family increase the chances of getting the condition.

The causes of Type 1 diabetes are unknown but it is usually preceded by the body’s own immune system attacking and killing the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. As well as genetic predisposition, several environmental factors such as viral infection, dietary habits in infancy, birthweight and early weight gain, as well as chronic stress, have been proposed as risk factors.

Since the incidence of Type 1 diabetes among young children is increasing in most countries in the world, environmental factors are now being examined even more seriously.

The study aimed to examine whether psychological stress in terms of experiences of ‘serious life events’, along with parental perception of parenting stress and lack of social support, during the child’s first 14 years of life, was a risk factor for developing Type 1 diabetes.

The study invited all families with babies born between October 1997 and September 1999 in southeast Sweden to participate, with 10,495 families participating in at least one of four data collections carried out when the children were between 2 and 14 years.

To be included in the study, the child must not have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when participating for the first time. A total of 58 children were subsequently diagnosed with the condition.

The authors found that childhood experience of a serious life event was associated with a higher risk of future diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, with children experiencing such events almost three times more likely to develop it than those who had not.

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

The authors conclude: “Consistent with several previous retrospective studies, this first prospective study concludes that the experience of a serious life event (reasonably indicating psychological stress) during the first 14 years of life may be a risk factor for developing Type 1 diabetes.

“The current study examined serious life events experienced at any time before diagnosis; further studies are thus needed to determine when in the autoimmune process psychological stress may contribute, and in association with which other factors such as genetic factors, infections or other periods of pronounced beta cell stress. 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.”

Dr Richard Elliott, Diabetes UK Research Communications Manager, responded to the study. He said: “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.”