Is permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus inherited ?
Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus can have different inheritance patterns.  When this condition is caused by mutations in the KCNJ11 or INS gene it is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. In about 90 percent of these cases, the condition results from new mutations in the gene and occurs in people with no history of the disorder in their family. In the remaining cases, an affected person inherits the mutation from one affected parent.  When permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus is caused by mutations in the ABCC8 gene, it may be inherited in either an autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive pattern. In autosomal recessive inheritance, both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.  Less commonly the condition is caused by mutations in other genes, and in these cases it is also inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.