Family history of type 2 diabetes and characteristics of children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes

Aims/hypothesis Shared aetiopathogenetic factors have been proposed in type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes and both diseases have been shown to cluster in families. Characteristics related to type 2 diabetes have been described in patients with type 1 diabetes with a positive family history of type 2 diabetes. We wanted to characterise the family history of type 2 diabetes and its possible effects on the phenotype and genotype of type 1 diabetes in affected children at diagnosis.Methods A total of 4993 children under the age of 15 years with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes from the Finnish Pediatric Diabetes Register were recruited (56.6% boys, median age of 8.2 years) for a cross-sectional, observational, population-based investigation. The family history of diabetes at diagnosis was determined by a structured questionnaire, and markers of metabolic derangement, autoantibodies and HLA class II genetics at diagnosis were analysed.ResultsTwo per cent of the children had an immediate family member and 36% had grandparents with type 2 diabetes. Fathers and grandfathers were affected by type 2 diabetes more often than mothers and grandmothers. The children with a positive family history for type 2 diabetes were older at the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (p p = 0.01) and more often tested negative for all diabetes-related autoantibodies (p = 0.02).Conclusions/interpretationFeatures associated with type 2 diabetes, such as higher body weight, older age at diagnosis and autoantibody negativity, are more frequently already present at the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in children with a positive family history of type 2 diabetes.