If both parents have type II, or non-insulin dependent diabetes, your chances of developing the disease are 35 to 55 percent. Controlling your weight, diet and exercising regularly can reduce the chance of developing this form of diabetes. If one of your parents or siblings has type I, or insulin dependent diabetes, your chance of developing the disease is approximately three percent. Although the risk is lower for developing type I diabetes, both types of diabetes tend to run in families. If one family member is being treated for diabetes, others should have their blood-sugar levels checked regularly.
Cystic fibrosis is just one of the hundreds of genetic birth defects that occur each year.
Approximately one in 25 white Americans carry the gene that leads to the condition. You may be a healthy carrier of the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, but if your partner also carries the cystic fibrosis gene, your children have a one in four chance of developing the disease. A genetic counselor can discuss options with couples prior to planning a pregnancy. Prenatal tests can determine the risk a couple has of producing a child who has a disease such as cystic fibrosis or other genetic birth defects. Cancers More than 100,000 cancer cases a year are believed to be linked to heredity.