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Review
. 2005 Jun;115(6):1431-9.
doi: 10.1172/JCI24758.

Genetic epidemiology of diabetes

M Alan Permutt  1 , Jonathon Wasson, Nancy Cox
Affiliations
Review

Genetic epidemiology of diabetes

M Alan Permutt et al. J Clin Invest. 2005 Jun.

Abstract

Conventional genetic analysis focuses on the genes that account for specific phenotypes, while traditional epidemiology is more concerned with the environmental causes and risk factors related to traits. Genetic epidemiology is an alliance of the 2 fields that focuses on both genetics, including allelic variants in different populations, and environment, in order to explain exactly how genes convey effects in different environmental contexts and to arrive at a more complete comprehension of the etiology of complex traits. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology of diabetes and the current understanding of the genetic bases of obesity and diabetes and provide suggestions for accelerated accumulation of clinically useful genetic information.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Diabetes trends among adults in the US. *Includes gestational diabetes. Adapted from ref. . (B) Obesity trends among US adults. **BMI ≥ 30 (about 30 pounds overweight for a 5-ft 4-in. individual). Adapted from ref. .
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diabetes results from an imbalance between the insulin-producing capacity of the islet β cell and the requirement for insulin action in insulin target tissues such as liver, adipose tissue. and skeletal muscle. Some of the many genes that have been shown or could possibly contribute to the imbalance are illustrated.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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