Is diabetes passed on to children from mother to child?

I am 28 years old, have been injecting insulin to treat diabetes, and am currently 6 months pregnant. Doctor, can the disease be passed on to the child? (Quynh Hoa, An Giang )

Reply:

Diabetes is divided into 3 groups: type 1, type 2 and diabetes due to pregnancy (gestational diabetes). Of which, type 1 diabetes is caused by a congenital defect of the pancreas that cannot produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is often caused by being overweight, obese, eating habits, lifestyle, and lack of exercise.

Gestational diabetes affects 3-5% of pregnant women. The disease is caused by the placenta producing hormones that cause glucose to accumulate in the blood. Normally, the pancreas produces enough insulin to handle this condition, but if the body does not produce enough, blood sugar levels will increase, causing the pregnant woman to develop the disease. If not treated promptly, it will affect both mother and fetus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that diabetes can be inherited. If parents have the disease, there is a high chance that their children will also have the disease, even if they are not born with any signs of diabetes. In addition, if the father or mother has variations in their genes, when pregnant, those variations in the genes can also cause diabetes due to genetic disease.

Some studies confirm that if both parents have a history of type 1 diabetes, the chance of passing it on to their children is about 30%. The American Diabetes Association also studied the genetics of people with type 2 diabetes. The results showed that if both parents have the disease, more than 50% of children born are at risk of developing the disease. In cases where only the father or mother under 50 years old has the disease, the child born has a 14% chance of developing the disease.

Tam Anh General Hospital performed a timely cesarean section to help a pregnant woman with blood sugar disorder deliver a 4.3 kg baby. Photo: Tue Diem

The Neonatal Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, has recently treated many cases of children with respiratory failure, hypoglycemia, and premature birth due to complications of pregnant mothers with gestational diabetes. Some dangerous cases require prolonged respiratory support to save the baby's life.

Currently, there is no way to prevent diabetes caused by genetics. However, this rate can be reduced to a low level with early screening, lifestyle changes, and a moderate, scientific diet. Women of reproductive age, preparing for pregnancy and childbirth should exercise regularly, maintain a low-fat, low-starch diet, limit sweets, alcohol, beer, cigarettes... Women should use clean food, limit canned food, use lots of green vegetables, fresh fruits containing vitamin C and fiber.

Babies born to mothers with diabetes are at risk of large fetuses, birth trauma, asphyxia, respiratory failure, premature birth, hypoglycemia, neonatal jaundice... If diabetes is poorly controlled before pregnancy, at the time of conception and early in the first trimester, the child will be at high risk of slow growth and congenital malformations in organs such as the brain, heart, musculoskeletal system, kidneys, digestive system, eyes... Children also need to be monitored long-term for the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, kidney disease...

Therefore, overweight women must control their weight before getting pregnant. For women who are diagnosed with diabetes, stable treatment is needed before planning to have children. During pregnancy, regular check-ups and blood sugar checks are needed to ensure the safety of mother and fetus.

MD.CKII Pham Le My Hanh
Head of Neonatology Department, Neonatal Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

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