As most of my readers are aware, I have two sons with juvenile diabetes (type 1) and another son with autism. For many years, I believed that our family was somehow unlucky in the roulette-wheel of life. I couldn’t imagine these two conditions which seem so different could be linked.
I Love Hearing From Parents!
For me, one of the most rewarding things about blogging for Families.com has been the opportunity to receive personal emails from mothers and fathers in all parts of the USA, and even England, Germany, Russia, and Australia. I’ve been surprised at the number of responses I’ve received on this particular topic. There are apparently many families like mine, who are dealing with both juvenile diabetes and autism spectrum disorders. Sometimes it’s manifesting separately in different children, and other times it’s occurring together in the same child. Could this be a meaningless coincidence?
If we surveyed the entire world, would there be a statistical likelihood of certain families having these two conditions by sheer random chance? Of course. But once again, I look at my own family and have to ask myself, how probable is it that by coincidence we were struck not once, but twice with juvenile diabetes, and then with autism?
Immune Dysregulation
According to Dr. Bryan Jepson, M.D., in his book Changing the Course of Autism, a large number of autism cases are caused by exposure to certain infectious agents. A wide variety of viral infections have been linked to autism, including herpes simplex, rubella virus, Borna disease virus, measles, and congenital cytomegalovirus. Experts believe that these viral exposures trigger an autoimmune response from the body which causes neuroinflammation and brain injury. He says that there is evidence of immune dysregulation in autistic patients which supports this theory. There is likewise very clear evidence that juvenile diabetes is also caused by a virus as its trigger, and then an inappropriate immune response.
I’ve learned that in a compromised immune system, abnormal chemical signals may not tell the T-helper cells whether to use a Th1 (T-helper 1) response, or a Th2 response. The Th1 response is cell-mediated (better against viruses), and the Th2 response is antibody-mediated. Normally, the body should be able to determine which kind of response is needed depending upon the infection, but in a dysregulated immune system, the body might always use the Th2 response, for example. That potentially means viruses can remain hidden inside cells for some time, and will then intermittently cause immune responses or chronic inflammatory conditions. It also means antibodies can form excessively, creating widespread autoimmune reactions. In Th1 predominance, a person can have autoimmune reactions that attack specific organs, like the pancreas, causing juvenile diabetes. In both of these scenarios, the body is not properly regulating its immune response.
Look at it This Way
When I think of immune dysregulation, I imagine a computer with faulty virus-protection software. (I’ve had a lot of problems with my anti-virus software, so this comparison makes sense to me.) If the anti-virus is flawed, viruses can get into the system and cause damage. Then I must go through the frustrating process of fixing all the corrupted programs, which now seem like the problem because they’re not running as they should, but the real culprit is the anti-virus that didn’t do its job.
If I had two computers with the same faulty anti-virus software, they might manifest with different problems. One might run slow, and the other might have damaged, inaccessible files. It would depend on what viruses slipped through and what programs were exposed to damage. I might have to approach the problems with each computer differently, even though they were ultimately caused by the same thing. In my view, this is the way a faulty immune system can cause two different conditions, like juvenile diabetes and autism.
Parents, give me your thoughts and questions on this topic! I applaud you for handling these difficult trials day in and day out, when nobody else seems to have any idea what you’re going through. Bravo to you for being so dedicated to the well-being of your kids!
Kristyn Crow is the author of this blog. Visit her website by clicking here. Some links on this blog may have been generated by outside sources are not necessarily endorsed by Kristyn Crow.
Related Articles:
Autism, Juvenile Diabetes, and Autoimmune Factors
Do You Have Juvenile Diabetes and Autism in Your Family?
“My Son Has Juvenile Diabetes and Autism.” A Mother’s Interview
