Is Diabetes caused by Genes?

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at least partly inherited. Type 1 diabetes appears to be triggered by infection, stress, or environmental factors (e.g. exposure to a causative agent). There is a genetic element in the susceptibility of individuals to some of these triggers which has been traced to particular HLA genotypes (i.e. genetic self identifiers used by the immune system). However, even in those who have inherited the susceptibility, type 1 diabetes mellitus seems to require an environmental trigger. A small proportion of type 1 diabetics carry a mutation that causes maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY).

There is an even stronger inheritance pattern for Type 2 diabetes; those with type 2 ancestors or relatives have very much higher chances of developing ype 2. Concordance among moozygotic twins is close to 100%, and 25% of those with the disease have a family history of diabetes. It is also often connected to obesity, which is found in approximately 85% of (North American) patients diagnosed with that form of the disease, so some experts believe that inheriting a tendency toward obesity seems also to contribute. However, working in concert with genetic predisposition, many experts believe that lifestyle factors (lack of exercise, poor diet, etc.) are the greatest contributors to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and that stringent weight control in persons with a genetic predisposition will effectively prevent and ameliorate the pathology of the disease in most cases. Age is also thought to be a contributing factor, as most type 2 patients in the past were older. The exact reasons for these connections are unknown.

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