Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard has worked in the diabetes research field ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.
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If you have T1D, have any of your siblings been screened for T1D antibodies? Cancel reply
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My paternal grandmother, who died and 46, my brother, who died at 67, and I, still alive at 74, all have (had) late onsite Type 1. My grandmother began perhaps in her early 40s and misdiagnosed, my brother at 23, and hospitalized for the severity of the symptoms and I as 40th birthday present.
I was the eldest child, diagnosed with T1D as a juvenile, age 7. My younger sister and younger brother have known I was T1D from the very beginning. I do not know if they have tested for antibodies and have not asked.
When my brother was diagnosed in 1992 I was screened for antibodies and was positive for 3. I participated in the first phases of the daily low-dose insulin clinical trials for 7 years. I was diagnosed with t1d when I was 18.
I was diagnosed with T1D as an adult with LADA. My only sibling was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and is now on insulin exactly like I am, even the same kinds (Humalog & Lantus) MDI. When our 2 sons were young, they were in a study testing for antibodies if one of their parents were a T1D. We went through that study and youngest son was determined he had the genetic bent for T1D which was diagnosed at 13. The older son had the protection or antibodies and he is now 34 and not a T1D. So there definitely is inherited genetics with T1D and infertility clinics can now separate sperm of a T1D father to be to ward off the genetic bent of the child. There is always a cost involved not covered by insurance or socialized medicine, so young couples usually just take their chances.
How would I have any clue what any of my siblings might have been screened for when we live in different households and only see each other between once every few months to once every few decades???
My younger sister has not been tested, although I have sent her information on how to do so several times. At this point, I’m not going to push her to change her decision. She is well aware of the symptoms of T1D, and would probably recognize T1D early.
I was diagnosed in 1968, so those tests did not exist for decades. When I started in practice, I did not discuss with patients with T1D, because there was nothing you could do about the positive antibodies. That may not be true any longer if FDA approves Teplizumab, which reduces ongoing injury to beta cells which leads to less likelihood of developing T1D for those at risk based on positive antibodies but normal BG levels, if treated for 14 days: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1902226 – then a recent 1 yr extension of original report- https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/13/583/eabc8980 …. So maybe this will change the approach for screening.
After my brother, who’s 2 years younger than myself, was diagnosed at 7 months old in 1972, I was just watched closely. As was our younger brother who came along in 1978. I was diagnosed in 1982 with T1D, so I guess I have them; our other brother is T2D – since his mid 20’s.
brother and sister are type 2 diabetic
We took part in a study through my endocrinology clinic and my sister was positive. She eventually got hashimoto’s but not type 1 diabetes.
My youngest sister by ten years was diagnosed around age 5 same as myself. She turns 60 in May & I will be 70 in September.
Both of my girls ages 40 & 41.5 tested negative while in their teens.
My brother was diagnosed in 1969 he was 4 years old, I was never screened but diagnosed in 2017 with Type 1 LADA
I was dx at age 8, my brothers were at 25 and 30. I have four sisters, none of whom have it, but three of them have children with T1. None of us with T1 have kids with it, so it’s a mixed bag in our family.
There are seven of us T1s, zero T2s.
I am adopted, syblings unknown.