title: Genetic, acquired, and related factors in the etiology of diabetes mellitus.
abstract: Diabetes mellitus is not a single disease entity, but a heterogenous group of disorders with a striking diversity of etiopathogenetic mechanisms as well as clinical manifestations. Lack of a known genetic marker for the disease(s) and variable influences of environmental factors on the expression of a putative diabetic genome have resulted in considerable debate over its etiology. Over the past few years, systematic epidemiologic studies, along with knowledge gained from a close association of certain human-leukocyte-antigens with the diabetic diathesis and possible role of host-immune factors, and gene-virus interaction have led to considerable advancement in the understanding of the disease-complex. Pending the availability of definite genetic marker(s), we propose a new, tentative classification based on the etiologic mechanisms. We also suggest that the term "prediabetes" be abandoned as a prospective entity, since as presently employed, this connotation carries a risk probability no different than the terms like prehypertension or precoronary thrombosis.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000209:etiology; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D011236:Prediabetic State; D012924:Social Conditions; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D006680:HLA Antigens