What Increases Your Risk

Risk factors for type 1 diabetes include:

• Family history of type 1 diabetes. Having a family history of the disease increases the chance that a person will have islet cell antibodies, but it does not predict that a person will have the disease. Only about 10% to 15% of people with type 1 diabetes have a family history of the disease.²
  • If the father has the disease, a child has a 6% risk of developing it.
  • If a sibling has the disease, a child has a 5% risk of developing it.
  • If the mother has the disease, a child has a 3% risk of developing it.
  • If an identical twin has the disease, the other twin has a 25% to 50% risk of developing it.
• Race. White people have a greater risk for developing type 1 diabetes than black, Asian, or Hispanic people.
• Presence of islet cell antibodies in the blood. People who have both a family history of type 1 diabetes and islet cell antibodies in their blood are likely to develop the disease at some time.

When To Call a Doctor

Call or other emergency services right away if you are:

• Unconscious or you suddenly become very sleepy or confused. You may have low blood sugar, called hypoglycemia.
  • Emergency Care for Low Blood Sugar
• Sleepy, confused, breathing very fast, or your breath smells fruity. You may have a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis.

Call a doctor right away if:

• Your blood sugar is 300 mg/dL or higher (or it is higher than the level your doctor has set for you).

Call a doctor if you:

• Are sick and having trouble controlling your blood sugar.
• Have had vomiting or diarrhea for more than 6 hours.
  • Sick day guidelines
• Often have problems with high or low blood sugar levels.
• Have trouble knowing when your blood sugar is low (hypoglycemia unawareness).
• Have questions or want to know more about diabetes.

Who to see

The following health professionals can diagnose and treat diabetes:

• Family medicine physician
• General practitioner
• Internist
• Endocrinologist
• Pediatric endocrinologist
• Pediatrician
• Nurse practitioner
• Physician assistant

To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.