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The Genetic Contribution to Disease Pathogenesis in Childhood Diabetes is Greatest in the Very Young
Author(s) -
Shield J. P. H.,
Wadsworth E. J. K.,
Baum J. D.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-5491.1995.tb00498.x
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetes mellitus , disease , pathogenesis , fulminant , type 1 diabetes , human leukocyte antigen , epidemiology , age of onset , pediatrics , family history , autoimmune disease , immunology , endocrinology , antigen
Epidemiological data are presented to support the hypothesis that the genetic contribution to disease pathogenesis in childhood onset diabetes is greatest in those presenting at a very early age. Analysis of family data from two national surveys of childhood onset Type 1 (insulin‐dependent) diabetes (1988 in under 15s: 1992 in under 5s) reveals that children developing diabetes between the ages 1 and 2 years are significantly more likely to have a parental history of Type 1 diabetes than older children. It is proposed that compared with other children, those with very early onset diabetes have either a greater genetic and smaller environmental contribution to the initiation of the autoimmune process leading to Type 1 diabetes: or inherited HLA alleles associated with a more fulminant autoimmune mediated Beta‐cell destruction once the process is initiated.