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Calculate your risk 
Calculate your risk 
Family at doctors office
Family at doctors office

Understanding your family’s risk of type 1 diabetes

Autoimmune type 1 diabetes can affect anyone at any age,1​ but some people have a higher risk than others.2​ The early stages are silent, with no symptoms, so you can be living with the condition for a long time without even knowing.3​

The importance of knowing the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes

As both type 1 and type 2 diabetes result in increased blood glucose (sugar) levels, type 1 diabetes can be mistaken for type 2 (or a warning sign for type 2 diabetes). But type 1 and type 2 diabetes are actually different conditions, with different causes, and therefore require different treatment. Understanding the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes will help you to understand your risk and take the right next step for you and your family.


In nearly 2 in 5 adults (39%) whose autoimmune type 1 diabetes was initially missed, most of them were mistaken to have type 2 diabetes.4 These missed diagnoses can waste valuable time, delay the right treatment and increase the risk of serious complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).4,5


Ask your doctor about autoantibody screening – it's a finger-prick or a blood test, and the first step towards getting the right diagnosis, helping you and your loved ones prepare for treatment and avoid medical emergencies such as DKA.

Family at doctors office

Do you have any relatives with autoimmune type 1 diabetes?

Family history plays a key role in a person’s likelihood of developing autoimmune type 1 diabetes.2,6,7


If a close family member (parent or sibling) has autoimmune type 1 diabetes, your risk can be up to 15 times higher compared to those without.6-8 This represents a lifetime risk for developing type 1 diabetes of around 1 in 20 compared with 1 in 300 for the general population.8,9


Also, if a more distant relative (grandparent, aunt, uncle, or cousin) has autoimmune type 1 diabetes, your likelihood for the condition can be nearly twice as high.6,10

Although family history can be a good indicator of a person’s risk, it’s certainly not the only factor that indicates your chance of developing autoimmune type 1 diabetes.


In fact, around 9 in 10 people with autoimmune type 1 diabetes have no family history.11​

People with other autoimmune conditions

Autoimmune conditions often overlap.12-14


So it follows, that if you or someone in your family has another autoimmune condition, like coeliac or thyroid disease, your risk of developing autoimmune type 1 diabetes may be 2 to 3 times higher compared to people who don’t have these autoimmune conditions.15-18


There is a relationship between other autoimmune conditions and type 1 diabetes as they may share the same, or similar genetic risk factors.15,18-20

Understanding type 1 diabetes risk in children

Type 1 diabetes can happen at any age. In children, diagnosis most commonly occurs in school-age children, with the most cases found by the age of 10–14 years.21


Most people who do develop type 1 diabetes do not have a family history; if you do have a close family member (child’s parent or sibling) with type 1 diabetes, then the risk for your child having type 1 diabetes increases from around 1 in 250 to22,23:


  • between 1 in 17 if the child’s father has type 1 diabetes
  • between 1 in 25 if the child’s mother has type 1 diabetes and gave birth before age 25
  • between 1 in 10 to 1 in 4 if both parents have type 1 diabetes
Family at kitchen table

It’s a good idea to ask your child’s doctor for autoantibody screening to help detect type 1 diabetes.


Children are at greater risk of developing type 1 diabetes if they have a family history of autoimmune conditions. For instance, the risk of type 1 diabetes is nearly 3 times higher for the child if one of the parents has coeliac disease.24


More than 3 in 5 children (63%) with type 1 diabetes have at least one relative with an autoimmune condition.25


Autoantibody screening can detect type 1 diabetes even before symptoms appear, which helps give you and your loved ones valuable knowledge and opportunity to prepare for managing the condition as early as possible.



Doctor speaking to family

Key things to remember

  • Autoimmune type 1 diabetes can develop in anyone, at any age. The highest number of cases are found in adults
  • While children have a greater chance of developing type 1 diabetes if they have a family history of the condition, most people who do develop type 1 diabetes don’t have a family history
  • Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are different conditions and need to be identified correctly to ensure the right care and treatment

Quick quiz

While autoimmune type 1 diabetes is not preventable, detecting it early gives you the best chance of managing the condition. Take a quick quiz to understand your risk for autoimmune type 1 diabetes. You can show the results to your doctor and ask for autoantibody screening to find out if you may be at risk of type 1 diabetes.

Two index fingers out ready for a finger prick test

Find out more about getting screened for type 1 diabetes

Left untreated, insulin levels may have dropped so low that it can result in diabetic ketoacidosis (or DKA) – a serious medical complication that can lead to hospitalisation and have lasting effects on the body and brain.26,27 But autoantibody screening can detect type 1 diabetes even before symptoms appear.

Getting screened for type 1 diabetes

References

  1. Gregory GA, Robinson TIG, Linklater SE, et al. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2022;10(10):741-760.
  2. Weires MB, Tausch B, Haug PJ, et al. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2007;115(10):634-640.
  3. Sims EK, Besser REJ, Dayan C, et al. Diabetes. 2022;71(4):610-623.
  4. Muñoz C, Floreen A, Garey C, et al. Clin Diabetes. 2019;37(3):276-281.
  5. Wagner R, Füchtenbusch M, Hummel M, et al. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2026;231:113047.
  6. Parkkola A, Härkönen T, Ryhänen SJ, et al. Diabetes Care. 2013;36(2):348-354.
  7. Besser REJ, Bell KJ, Couper JJ, et al. Pediatr Diabetes. 2022;23(8):1175-1187.
  8. Haller MJ, Bell KJ, Besser REJ, et al. Horm Res Paediatr. 2024;97(6):529-545.
  9. Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet. T1D Facts. Accessed August, 2026. https://www.trialnet.org/t1d-facts
  10. Allen C, Palta M, D’Alessio DJ. Diabetes. 1991;40(7):831-836.
  11. Karges B, Prinz N, Placzek K, et al. Diabetes Care. 2021;44(5):1116-1124.
  12. Edelman S. J Fam Pract. 2023;72(Suppl 6):S19-S24.
  13. Barker JM. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006;91(4):1210-1217.
  14. Głowińska-Olszewska B, Szabłowski M, Panas P, et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020;11:476.
  15. Ludvigsson JF, Ludvigsson J, Ekbom A, et al. Diabetes Care. 2006;29(11):2483-2488.
  16. Skov J, Kuja-Halkola R, Magnusson PKE, et al. Eur J Endocrinol. 2022;186(6):677-685.
  17. Biondi B, Kahaly GJ, Robertson RP. Endocr Rev. 2019;40(3):789-824.
  18. Cárdenas-Roldán J, Rojas-Villarraga A, Anaya JM. BMC Med. 2013;11:73.
  19. Frommer L, Kahaly GJ. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021;12:618213.
  20. Negrato CA, Pereira RZ, Porto LDMP, et al. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2025;23:Erw1222.
  21. Maahs DM, West NA, Lawrence JM, et al. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2010;39(3):481-497.
  22. Libman I, Haynes A, Lyons S, et al. Pediatr Diabetes. 2022;23:1160-1174.
  23. American Diabetes Association. Genetics of diabetes. Accessed August, 2026. https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/genetics-diabetes
  24. Kahaly GJ, Forst T, Kellerer M, et al. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab. 2026;9(1):e70119.
  25. Kossiva L, Korona A, Kafassi N, et al. Hormones (Athens). 2022;21(2):277-285.
  26. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetic ketoacidosis. Accessed August, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/diabetic-ketoacidosis.html
  27. Mayo Clinic. Diabetic ketoacidosis. Accessed August, 2026. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-ketoacidosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20371551

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