The Mode of Inheritance of Diabetes

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes affected as many as 23.6 million adults and children in the United States as of 2007. This amount represents the number of known cases, with as many as 5.7 million more people who’ve not been diagnosed. And while genetic factors can significantly influence a person’s likelihood of developing diabetes, environmental factors can also play a role in its development.

Diabetes

• Diabetes conditions develop when the body becomes unable to metabolize available glucose, or sugar materials, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Because glucose acts as the primary fuel for cells, this inability can cause serious medical conditions to develop when left untreated. Diabetes can be inherited from a parent through a genetic trait; however, its actual development may rely on the presence of certain environmental conditions. According to the American Diabetes Association, lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise can trigger its development when a genetic predisposition exists.

Function

• The body’s inability to metabolize glucose can appear in two forms, called type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Both forms involve the pancreas’s ability to manufacture insulin, which enables cells to absorb available glucose supplies from the bloodstream. Type 1 conditions appear as an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the pancreas cells that produce insulin. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, type 2 accounts for 90 to 95 percent of diabetic conditions. Cells in the body develop a type of insulin resistance that makes them unable to absorb available blood glucose. And while a genetic predisposition must be present, the actual condition develops as a result of diet and lifestyle habits.

Type 1 Inheritance

• The mode of inheritance for type 1 diabetes requires both parents carry a genetic predisposition for contracting the condition. Type 1 appears most prevalent in Caucasian populations, though certain triggers have also been associated with its developing in the body, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Cold weather has been associated with its time of occurrence, with more people showing signs of type 1 during the winter months versus warmer months. Viral infections may also act as a trigger for developing type 1 diabetes when a genetic predisposition exists.

Type 2 Inheritance

• Genetics have been found to play a significant role in developing type 2 diabetes, though environmental factors have an even stronger influence on whether or not the condition will actually develop in the body. Typically, a family history of type 2 acts as a strong risk factor, especially for individual who live within the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association. Within the United States, diet and lifestyle norms lean towards high fat-low, carbohydrate-low fiber diet coupled with an inactive lifestyle. In contrast, countries with healthy diets and active lifestyles show a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes, even in areas where genetic predispositions are high.

Potential

• According to the American Diabetes Association, the odds of a couple passing type 1 or type 2 diabetes on to a child can vary depending on the age of the father and mother, whether or not the father or mother have diabetes and diet and lifestyle habits. With type 1, the chances of a child inheriting the condition from his mother are one in 25 when birth occurs before the age of 25. This rate becomes one and 100 when birth occurs after the age of 25. The chance of inheriting type 1 from a father who has the condition is one in 17.

  In the case of type 2 diabetes, a child’s risk of inheriting the condition depends on the age of the parents, as well as diet and lifestyle factors. Children have a one in seven risk of developing type 2 if either parent was diagnosed before the age of 50. This rate becomes one in 13 when diagnosis occurs after the age of 50.