An Immunological Basis for Disproportionate Diabetes Risks in Children With a Type I Diabetic Mother or Father

Children of mothers with type I diabetes carry a diabetes risk of ∼2.3–2.6%, whereas children of type I diabetic fathers carry a risk two to three times higher (1,2). In a follow-up study in Dallas, Texas, the discordance currently exceeds 10-fold (JD Capra, unpublished observations). Although parental imprinting or silent fetal loss have tentatively been invoked, no evidence supports such mechanisms. The hypothesis below describes an immunological mechanism that could explain this discrepancy in diabetes risk.