Question: What is (are) permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus ?
Answer: Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus is a type of diabetes that first appears within the first 6 months of life and persists throughout the lifespan. This form of diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) resulting from a shortage of the hormone insulin. Insulin controls how much glucose (a type of sugar) is passed from the blood into cells for conversion to energy. Individuals with permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus experience slow growth before birth (intrauterine growth retardation). Affected infants have hyperglycemia and an excessive loss of fluids (dehydration) and are unable to gain weight and grow at the expected rate (failure to thrive). In some cases, people with permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus also have certain neurological problems, including developmental delay and recurrent seizures (epilepsy). This combination of developmental delay, epilepsy, and neonatal diabetes is called DEND syndrome. Intermediate DEND syndrome is a similar combination but with milder developmental delay and without epilepsy. A small number of individuals with permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus have an underdeveloped pancreas. Because the pancreas produces digestive enzymes as well as secreting insulin and other hormones, affected individuals experience digestive problems such as fatty stools and an inability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
Source: GHR

Question: How many people are affected by permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus ?
Answer: About 1 in 400,000 infants are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in the first few months of life. However, in about half of these babies the condition is transient and goes away on its own by age 18 months. The remainder are considered to have permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus.
Source: GHR

Question: Is permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus inherited ?
Answer: 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.
Source: GHR

Question: What are the treatments for permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus ?
Answer: These resources address the diagnosis or management of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus: - Gene Review: Gene Review: Permanent Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus - Genetic Testing Registry: Pancreatic agenesis, congenital - Genetic Testing Registry: Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus - University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center These resources from MedlinePlus offer information about the diagnosis and management of various health conditions: - Diagnostic Tests - Drug Therapy - Surgery and Rehabilitation - Genetic Counseling - Palliative Care
Source: GHR