to think that they might have mentioned, before today,

[Justforlaughs]

that my grandmother died in a diabetic coma (before I was born) given that my DD1 was diagnosed last year and we've been telling all the medical staff that there is no family history!! I had absolutely no idea at all that she was diabetic.

Is 'they' your parents?

Yes, just totally staggered that they didn't think it was worth mentioning and irrelevent. It only came up today because a mutual (elderly) friend died of a diabetic Hyper this week.

You should have been told.
I have a genetic blood disorder, they put me thro hell thinking I had sickle cell when I was pregnant with ds2,3and 4.
No one thought to tell me, now I have to get my kids a genetic test to see who I have passed it on to because if they find a female with the same problem they will have a very ill child

This happened to me too, DS had problems with his bowels when he was born (didn't poo for 16 days ) and had to have biopsies etc, very worrying as all sort of conditions were suspected....months later MIL says oh he must of got that from us and reeled of a load of family bowel issues

Very annoying OP you have my sympathies

I wouldn't worry about it too much, frankly.

Is it the same form of diabetes?

My parents are surprisingly vague about family medical history (they're on the ball about most things, and dad is a complete hypochondriac so you'd think he would want to talk about it). I've had to quiz them in detail to get it out of them. I don't think yours are unusual in that respect.

Perhaps it's because the understanding of heritable conditions has improved since they first started seeing the doctor (don't know, but hypothesising that medical history may have been less important previously)?

For example, many children who are adopted also don't know their medical background - they get by. I don't know half of my medical history, so I'm constantly giving the wrong information when asked, through ignorance, but I'm still alive!

Aetae.

I wondered that, too

I do understand that they may not have thought it was relevant in the past, but surely if a family member gets a diagnosis like that you would think "Oh, yes, maybe I should mention it"!! At least it doesn't seem as if they are the only (totally barking mad) ones!

They should have told you but the genetic link is a little tenuous. Even if a parent is diabetic the odds are against the child developing it.

There is thought to possibly be a genetic link but that it needs a trigger to actually cause diabetes develop. Possibly a specific virus.