Are diabetics less "immune"

[Nancy in VA]

Since diabetes is classified an "auto-immune" disease, I was wondering if it actually makes the children less immune.

I have never been a germ-a-phobe -I have taken my kids to others houses with lots of colds and sickness without a problem. I just wanted to know if I should change my thinking now that Emma has diabetes.

Is she more prone to catch colds and germs because she is diabetic?

[Reagan's Mama]

Our Endo told me no when I asked the very same question.

I still wonder though. I am a skeptic. Reagan had staph infection, Rota virus, and an cold/ear infection all within 6 weeks of each other. The nurse's explanation was that once she got the Rota her immune system couldn't get built back up and that's why she was getting everything else.

[Ellen]

Our son with diabetes is really healthy when compared to others as far as getting colds etc. He's also vegetarian (by choice) and that may or may not account for it.

[Lizzy731]

Since diabetes is classified an "auto-immune" disease, I was wondering if it actually makes the children less immune.

I have never been a germ-a-phobe -I have taken my kids to others houses with lots of colds and sickness without a problem. I just wanted to know if I should change my thinking now that Emma has diabetes.

Is she more prone to catch colds and germs because she is diabetic?


Well I can honestly say that this is absolutely not true. My daughter never gets sick and when she does, her colds last about 2 days tops. She has always been this way, before and after diagnosis. I am definitely not a germ a phobe and I don't go out of my way to shield her from every little germ. She washes her hands after coming in from outside and after using the bathroom, I feel that's sufficient. In fact, I exposed her to everyday household germs when she was a baby in an attempt to help her develop immunities. So to answer your question from personal experience (only), no they aren't less immune.

[Emma'sDad]

I don't know the answer for sure. I just like to stay away from houses with colds or flus because of the havoc that it does on her BGs. (Selfishly, another reason is that I don't like to get sick myself.) She ends up getting everything because of day care/school anyway so really there is no need for paranoia for something you can't really avoid in the first place.

[Mom2rh]

I think our son's immune system was weak when he got dx'd. He had the stomach flu 3 or 4 times in the next 6 months. It was awful. His little brother (2 yo at the time) and I would be exposed at the same time...and he'd be the only one to get sick.

He seems much better now...and doesn't get sick as often as the period after dx.

[sparkyjt]

I have an auto-immune disease (not D) and I am not any sicker than anyone else. Auto-immune does not mean that your immune system is any weaker than someone without an auto-immune disease. Certain types of illnesses can weaken your immune system briefly though so you are prone to catch a cold or other infection soon after that illness, but it has nothing to do with having an auto-immune disease. :)

[Mama Belle]

My daughter gets sick no more often than any other kid her age.

[Brensdad]

It would seem to me, and I really don't know, that diabetics would be LESS prone to illness because we have such active immune systems.

But when we do get sick, boy is it a pain in the rear!

[sam1nat2]

For my ds, he rarely gets sick, I do wonder if it is because his immune system is overactive.
As a baby, he didn't get his first cold until 10 months, not even a sniffle. Got his first cough at age 4.
Now he gets a cold about once a year or so and he thinks the world is coming to an end:rolleyes:
dd who is not diabetic, catches almost anything and everything.

[3js]

my son is not more prone to illness. however when he does get a cold or the flu he is really sick- his asthma is made worse. my husband has no chronic disease/disorder (my son and i do) and he is sick all of the time it seems.

[Heather(CA)]

Seth has been quoted saying "Diabetes has cured me..." He gets sick less often than before dx'd. That said, I'm with Emma's Dad, If I knew a family was sick, I would avoid them until they were better. I'd like to avoid that roller coaster if poss. To each their own:cwds:

[D-Dad]

we have 3 kids. the 2 non-d kids get sick at a "normal" level. the d kid never gets sick. I often joke that her immune system is very strong..... so strong that it killed her beta cells :-()

[BarbaraM]

I don't really know if diabetics are more likely or less likely to get ill, but I do know that her pediatrician added her to his "high risk" kids who get first crack at flu shots, etc. Even though she is very healthy, I'm sure come fall we'll be in to get our flu shot.

[Amy C.]

My son has been incredibly healthy. I think he has a very active immune system that keeps all germs at bay.

[Lizzy731]

we have 3 kids. the 2 non-d kids get sick at a "normal" level. the d kid never gets sick. I often joke that her immune system is very strong..... so strong that it killed her beta cells :-()

My husband says the same thing. :D

[thebestnest5]

I thought Livi was my healthiest child and I often said that. She would be exposed to illness and not get ill or recover with lightning speed! No illness ever seemed to get her down.

After dx...I wondered too..if her immune system was in hyper-drive...attacking things it shouldn't...like her own body. :cwds:

[MLH]

It would seem to me, and I really don't know, that diabetics would be LESS prone to illness because we have such active immune systems.

But when we do get sick, boy is it a pain in the rear!

That is exactly what our endo told us.

[momofsingingdiabetic]

But when we do get sick, boy is it a pain in the rear!

Don't I understand that.... especially after yesterday.

Danielle was sooo sick yesterday. Don't know if she caught a stomach bug, which caused her sugar to go up (not super, super high though) that caused her keytones to go up. OR, if her infusion set was messed up, which caused her sugar to go up, which caused her keytones to go up and her to start throwing up. All I know is that she couldn't keep anything down and we were very close in having to take her to the ER.

She's much better today and at 2:30 this morning, her sugar was almost at normal.

[momofsingingdiabetic]

oops...double post.

[Ellen]

Someone above mentioned rotavirus. I just stumbled upon this abstract.

J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. (javascript:AL_get(this, 'jour', 'J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr.');) 2007 Aug;45(2):147-56.
Rotavirus infections and development of type 1 diabetes: an evasive conundrum.

Ballotti S (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Ballotti%20S%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus), de Martino M (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22de%20Martino%20M%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus).
Department of Paediatrics, University of Florence, Anna Meyer Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy.
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease caused by altered immune tolerance to specific proteins leading to a selective destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in genetically predisposed individuals. T1D is likely to be triggered by environmental factors, including virus infections in genetically predisposed individuals. Rotaviruses are the main cause of severe diarrhea among children worldwide, but they seem to have a role also in T1D induction. Epidemiological data may be consistent with a similar hypothesis. Mechanisms hypothesized include molecular mimicry, bystander activation (with or without epitope spreading), and viral persistence. In this review the authors analyze the factors accounting for rotavirus ability to prime islet autoimmunity and cause T1D. A thorough comprehension of their potential pathogenetic mechanisms may allow preventive strategies to be designed.
PMID: 17667707 [PubMed - in process]