Is Type 1 Diabetes Contagious?

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is not a contagious disease although it is one of the myths that commonly surround patients who suffer from it. Doctors and scientists are still stumped about the exact cause of Type 1 diabetes, but it is not something you can catch or something that gets spread like a bacterial or viral infection.

Researchers think the causes of T1D are genetics and environmental factors or sometimes both. Patients, however, suffer from the stigma that they have a character flaw because most people think it is because of their lifestyle choices. Eighty-one percent of those surveyed believed that diabetes is because of a person’s failure to take care of themselves. Another common misconception is that all types of diabetes are the same and that it is a contagious disease. The stigma surrounding these myths only lead to negative feelings for the patients in terms of their emotional and social lives.

What patients need especially for managing chronic illnesses like diabetes, whether it is Type 1 or Type 1, is a steady support structure for successful diabetes management.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4971288/

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/myths/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241772/

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/41/Supplement_1/S38