Can toxic mold cause type 1 diabetes? While potential triggers vary, research suggests that environment plays a critical role in the onset of autoimmune disease. (See Environment, Not Genes, Dictates Human Immune Variation, Study Finds.)
As a mom of a son with type 1 diabetes, I am convinced our encounter with toxic mold contributed to our son Colin’s diagnosis. (See Why My Son Got Type 1 Diabetes.)
I have heard from other moms who feel the same way. The following mothers agreed to share their stories.
Type 1 Diabetes and Toxic Mold: Personal Stories
1. Christy’s Story
I’m sure it’s related, even if not the only contributing factor, because of what toxic mold does to the immune system. Our dog got sick and I got so sick with multiple autoimmune/immune deficiency diseases that I was disabled.
All of these issues started soon after moving into our 100-year-old house.
2. Jennifer’s Story
My son was diagnosed when he was 16 months old. This was four months after we had a water leak in our house that was not properly taken care of and turned into mold. I’m a stay-at-home mom, so we were home a lot. There were several other signs that indicated that the mold was negatively affecting his body.
Almost the same time that my son was diagnosed, I developed a benign tumor. I also had unexplained low blood pressure, tachycardia, night terrors, rashes, kidney pain, anxiety, my hands and scalp smelled like mold in the morning, blurry/cloudy vision, vertigo, brain fog, chest pain, hyperventilation syndrome, and more.
The home belongs to my son’s father. My son and I moved once I realized how bad mold is. My son’s father remediated the house and still lives in it. The mold spores may be gone, but I believe the mycotoxins still remain, because the house still smells, in my opinion.
I was up in arms with trying to figure out what was going on. When I learned more about mold, I knew in my heart that mold was the culprit.
3. Kim’s Story
We all had issues after living in that toxic house and surviving on processed foods for years. I had seven miscarriages while living there, for no reason that my OB could find. My daughter has always had terrible sleep patterns, leg aches, tummy troubles. My husband’s tremor and ADHD got so much worse. I felt like I was developing fibromyalgia and suffered numerous autoimmune symptoms aside from the miscarriages.
My son, my first, was born in the OP position (occiput posterior fetal position) like your son. (See Why My Son Got Type 1 Diabetes referenced above.) I had the flu vaccine while pregnant—even though I knew the dangers of vaccines from working with children with ASD—because my OB badgered me into getting it. I had the most terrible feeling that entire day. Then, when born preemie, my son was placed on an eight-day course of antibiotics. The poor guy did not have a fighting chance. He was breastfed for 15 months but, in my ignorance, I was eating a highly processed diet—lots of GMO foods, very little real food. As a toddler, he lived with a bag of GMO tortilla chips in his hand. At the time, we thought it was cute.
We were also living in a very moldy old house—the house I had to have, that had so much character, wound up poisoning us. We stayed sick constantly until I started searching out answers after his diagnosis with T1D.
4. Jennifer’s Story
My son was diagnosed on his seventh birthday with zero risk factors for type 1. We later found that the home (and very room) he was born in had stachybotrys and aspergillus. Looking back, he was a very croupy baby, with green bile stools requiring block feeding to get him higher-fat milk. He was also very heavy in acne until his fourth month. It makes me wonder if he struggled with blood sugar issues even very early on.
I was first diagnosed with RA and Lyme after living in the house for three years. My other son has struggled with tics and OCD-type symptoms as well as some sensory issues.
I made the connection between type 1 and our home after I met so many people who developed it while living in a moldy home. Of course there’s no way to prove a connection, but it’s pretty coincidental.
5. Pam’s Story
My daughter was diagnosed in December of 2005 at the age of 15 months. This was within a year of living in stachybotrys and penicillium mold. As with any toxin, I believe the toxins emitted from the mold likely compromised her immune system.
While living in the toxic home, a sibling contracted pneumonia and I developed complex partial seizures.
A second daughter later contracted type 1 diabetes, also at 15 months. She was not exposed to the toxic home. I am still trying to connect the dots, but I believe toxic mold, vaccine injury, viruses, food intolerances, and other environmental toxins—all or some of which applied to the genetically predisposed body—played a role in both diagnoses.
6. Jill’s Story
My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2013 after moving into a home that had a leaky roof and tested positive for molds on the ERMI test.
We experienced the onset of several illnesses—pancreatitis, Bell’s palsy, asthma, and a severe cough that was diagnosed as rhinosinusitis.
I came across Andrea Fabry’s website. Because we had recently moved to a new home and there was an onset of a variety of illnesses (when our family had previously been relatively healthy), I started doing more research. We eventually all went to visit Dr. Janette Hope, M.D., in Santa Barbara, California, and were all tested positive for tricothecenes in our urine samples.
If you believe toxic mold exposure contributed to a loved one’s type 1 diabetes, please share your story below. There is a doctor working on a study connecting the two. Let me know if you’d like to know more.
Is mold an issue in your home? Wondering where to begin? See A Beginner’s Guide to Toxic Mold.
My daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November 2013 at age 11after we lived in a water-damaged home all that summer. I was having neurological symptoms and was very ill myself. I missed the signs of her blood sugar issues until she was in critical condition. There were 2 doctors at our hospital that actually conceded that her diabetes was likely a result of the toxic environment.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Marj. Interesting that the doctors finally agreed.
Thank you Andrea. Great article with stories to back it up.
Thank you, Susie. I appreciate that.
Doug Kaufmann with David Holland M.D. came out with a book in 2003, titled “The Fungus Link to Diabetes”. It has lots of info on mycotoxins, studies, supplements, eating plans. You’ve probably cited it somewhere in your web pages and I haven’t gotten there yet. Seems like there is a lot of research out there but its being ignored.
His book covers the exposure to mycotoxins through foods, which seems relatively trivial when compared to breathing the stuff 24/7. If a link can be proven at those lower levels of exposure, how much more is it toxic to the pancreas at the higher levels when breathing it in day and night.
The disconnect is so wierd, that professionals have ignored this. Thank you for informing us on this.
Wow! I’m both glad and saddened to hear others are in this same situation. My 11 year old was dx with T1 June 2016. Then my 13 year old September 2016. Now I, their mother age 38 dx today with diabetes 1/23/17. Currently waiting on labs to see which one. We rent and our home is ridden with mold. We’ve lived here 2 years last October 2016. I’m wondering if there is a correlation. We are literally getting diabetes every 3 to 4 months in this house. We have 9 children. I’m so concerned for our other children. My husband is T1 but he’s been since 6yo. He’s the step-father to my 2 diabetic son’s. I feel like our children (his and mine together) have 3 strikes against them. 2 parents with diabetes, and half siblings with it. Any info you have is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for taking the time to share your story, Amy. You all have really been through it. My direct email is andrea@it-takes-time.com I don’t have any further information about the diabetes but lots of information on dealing with mold issues in the home. If I can help in any way let me know.
I found this page as I was searching for other peoples experiences on the connection between T1D and toxic mold. I’m actually writing from Finland, so I appologize for all the misspelling. 🙂
I have a story quite similar to ones told above. After living in our “dream home” for 1,5 years I first started having unexplained pain in my joints, muscle weakness and breathing problems. I was diagnosed with autoimmune disease which was causing the symptoms, but one doctor – professor specialized on mold illness – was convinced that mold exposure was the most significant trigger behind my disease. At that time we had already found out that there was Aspergillus, Penicillium and Chaetomium growing in our lovely little toilet.
We temporarily moved out and the housing company renovated some parts of our flat. After moving back my symptoms started getting worse again in few months. I didn’t want to believe it at first, but then couple of months later my son – 4,5yo at the time – was diagnosed with T1D. It came as a total surprise. There are no diabetics in my or my huspands family. To me it was obvius from the very first day of diagnose that T1D was my sons “mold illness”.
I’m convinced that different kind of problems with indoor air (and other environmental factors) play a significant role in the growing amount of autoimmune diseases. In Finland T1D is very common, and what’s interesting is that there are much less T1D diagnoses behind the border in “less modern” Karelia, even though the genes are very similar between finns and karelian people. I belive that this has something to do with differences on bacterias we’re expoced to.
Thank you for posting this interesticg article. As a mother you need to connect the dots somehow and try to find any information available on mold and T1D. I just wish there was scientific researches found on the subject so I could show them to our pediatrician as well.
Thank you so much for sharing this, Maria. Your spelling was excellent. Moms “know” I believe.
I would like more information please please please. I’m 33 & lived in a house with black mold for over 5yrs. I was diagnosed with type 1 4yrs ago. Since then my health has seriously gone down hill & no doctor wants to listen to me. I just realized today what could actually be wrong & why my body is shutting down. I would love to know any information you have found. I can’t stand the constant pain anymore. Thank you in advance 💙
I don’t have any more information than what I have posted, Heather. Simply knowing the exposure likely played a role is a good piece of information. An anti-fungal diet can help tremendously if you have not tried that.
Hello, I moved into an apartment in Bethlehem PA that has water leaks in the foundation. The water leaks, when they dried out caused mold to grow all over the building. There are constant maintenance issues in the 1st floor apartments. And all the concrete hollow blocks that are used in the foundations have mold growing in all the hollow spots of the CMU’s. The buildings are 50 years old and who knows what kind of craftsmanship was used by workers 50 years ago in this section of Bethlehem PA. When I moved into this place I asked about a mold issue here because I’ve had allergic reactions to mold before and was told there was never any issues. The lady who was the manager/leasing agent/realtor was just trying to fill up the apartments and outright lied to me. After a week here I texted her and told her that I was experiencing allergic reactions like severe breathing problems, major coughing up black tar-like sputum, a major skin rash along with raw lips (initially thought it was just chap lips). I was tested by my dermatologist by taking a biopsy sample of my raw lips and the test results were that I had a staff infection.
Lately my sugars have been extremely high. My doctor just told me I am diabetic after an A1C test. I know of a person in Stewartsville NJ who lived in a moldy apartment who developed T1D at the age of 40. That raised concern and curiosity to me. His entire life without checking to see if he has T1D! Now I’m diabetic and I swear it’s from living in this moldy building. Other residents of this building have had heart attacks and strokes. My feelings brought me to this page via an internet search. I’m no doctor or researcher but I feel there is a relationship between mold and diabetes and who knows what else
I’m sorry to hear this but very grateful you shared your story. Our gut instincts tell us alot.
I was recently diagnosed with an elevated glucose level 2 years after a water leak in my home. Last week, I decided to install new flooring. When I pulled back the carpet, I found a small amount of black mold near the area that was flooded. I also found mold growth in between a box of tiles that were stored upstairs. My contractor advised me that since there wasn’t a musty or moldy smell, that I should not be alarmed. He stated it was normal for an older home to have a small amount of mold (My house is 22 years old). He treated the area and replaced the carpet with hard wood. Before finding mold, I had often suspected something in my environment was affecting my health because not only I had I suddenly developed year around allergies, my pets had as well.
Within the last two years, my dog began to develop “hot spots” on his skin, was constantly licking his paws, lethargic, did not want to eat and had enlarged nodules on his throat. After having a full examination by the vet, blood work, biopsy, etc, they could not tell me why he was having these symptoms. The biopsy indicated inflammation but no cancer cells. All of his blood work came back normal with the exception of an increased glucose level. Out of curiosity, I took my other two dogs to the vet for blood work. They also have an increased glucose level.
Aside from the allergies and increased glucose levels, I have developed night terrors, kidney pain, anxiety, blurry/cloudy vision, vertigo, brain fog, shortness of breath, dry mouth, nausea, change in thyroid levels, extreme ear pain (i have to rub vicks vapo rub everyday near my ears and keep cotton in them at all times) and excessive hair loss. My MD referred to an ENT, Dermatologist, Endocrinologist, Allergist, and even sent me to a gynecologist without any answers. No one can explain why I am experiencing these symptoms.
In the end, I am convinced my health issues are caused my mold.
I was up in arms with trying to figure out what was going on. When I learned more about mold, I knew in my heart that mold was the culprit.
Thank you for sharing your story, Michelle. Good job making this connection.
My son also has T1D was diagnosed 6months to a year after our arrival to our new house. The bathroom was gutted due to mould that took out the entire studs inside the wall. Our bedroom was next door to where we slept. I also got the mumps and was hospitalised around this time. I started experiences eating / digestive issues and joint pain. I was later diagnosed with celiacs disease. Makes you wonder. You could be onto something. Now I spend my days at home researching cures for diabetes and eating gluten free and dairy free foods. To think it could have been all avoided without the presence of that terrible bathroom.
Thank you for sharing this, Kellie.