Speculations on Etiology of Diabetes Mellitus: Tumbler Hypothesis
- 1 March 1988
- journal article
- Published by American Diabetes Association in Diabetes
- Vol. 37 (3) , 257-261
- https://doi.org/10.2337/diab.37.3.257
Abstract
Although clinically useful, the conventional partition of diabetes mellitus into two major classes, insulin dependent and non-insulin dependent, has become obsolete from an etiological standpoint. Contemporary research, particularly that with advanced cellular and molecular methodologies, suggests that the expression of diabetes depends on a wide range of factors. We suggest that the etiology of diabetes has become analogous to the cylinder of a lock containing many tumblers. Each tumbler, e.g., environment, genetics, or cellular interactions, must be aligned before the key can be turned and an understanding of the etiologic process claimed.Keywords
This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: