Familial aggregation of Diabetes: a study based on Patients and Controls in Pune

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes prematurely kill two-thirds of peop le in industrialized nations. Large numbers of diab etics in Indian sub continent and their ever-growing numbers are be cause of rapidly changing lifestyles compounded wit h inherent susceptibility of Indians to the disease. The study therefore aimed to undertake an anthropological in vestigation of ‘familial clustering of diabetes’ among Indian popu lation with its possible linear transmission from o ne generation to other. A study of 1150 subjects was carried that included 750 patients, 400 nested case controls. D iagnosis of disease was based on ‘WHO criteria. Data was colle cted from various hospitals from Pune such as K.E.M, AFMC, Sassoon Hospital, Poona Hospital, Nandadeep Hospital. Structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews were used. Family History Index (FHI) was calculated. Conventional statistical methods like Yates correction, Od ds Ratio (OR), 95 % CI were used. Analysis showed that more than half of diabetic patients had positive family histories. Family History Index (FHI) showed a strong exposure to diabetes with presence of significant familial clustering of diabetes among first degree relatives. The prevalen ce of diabetes was relatively high among one or bot h parents, siblings of patients. Thus, it was observed that pa rents and siblings were the maximum sufferers of di abetes along with strong paternal inheritance. The study reflect ed the fact that linear transmission of diabetes wa s strongest among first degree relatives followed by second deg ree relatives of patients. This implies the fact of presence of strong genetic component in the etiology of the dis ease which becomes more severe, with various lifest yle factors.