Familial aggregation and excess maternal transmission of type 2 diabetes in Tunisia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the degree of familial aggregation of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Tunisia and to investigate transmission patterns of the disease and their relationships with patients' clinical profiles.


METHODS
Family history of diabetes and clinical data were collected for 132 unrelated type 2 diabetic Tunisian patients. Diabetes status was recorded for first degree relatives (parents, siblings) and second degree relatives (aunts and uncles from both maternal and paternal sides). Information about family history of diabetes was gathered for a total of 1767 individuals.


RESULTS
Familial aggregation of type 2 diabetes was prominent and more important among first degree relatives than among second degree relatives (p = 0.01). Among studied subjects, 70% reported at least one relative with diabetes and 34% had at least one parent with diabetes. Diabetes was more frequent among mothers than fathers of probands (p = 0.03). This maternal effect extends to second degree relatives as diabetes was more common among maternal than paternal aunts and uncles (p = 0.01). There is no significant difference in clinical and metabolic profiles between patients according to transmission patterns of the disease.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest familial aggregation and excess maternal transmission of type 2 diabetes in the Tunisian studied population.
Arfa
Imen
I
Molecular Investigation of Genetic Orphan Diseases Research Unit, Institut Pasteur de Tunis. Tunis, Tunisia.
Abid
Abdelmajid
A
Malouche
Dhafer
D
Ben Alaya
Nissaf
N
Azegue
Théophile Roland
TR
Mannai
Imen
I
Zorgati
Mohamed Majdi
MM
Ben Rayana
Mohamed Chiheb
MC
Ben Ammar
Slim
S
Blousa-Chabchoub
Samira
S
Ben Romdhane
Habiba
H
Zouari
Béchir
B
Dellagi
Mohamed Koussay
MK
Abdelhak
Sonia
S
D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D014416:Tunisia