Genetics of Juvenile Diabetes Mellitus

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Abstract
We investigated the genetic predisposition to juvenile diabetes in the families of 31 index cases in relation to the inheritance of the HLA system. The diabetes-predisposing gene was found to be recessive because the diabetic sibs in index cases shared both their HLA genes with a significantly increased frequency. Penetrance was estimated at 50 per cent because half the HLA-identical sibs in index cases were diabetic. These conclusions fit with published observations that the risk to sibs of patients is about 10 per cent, when both parents are normal.