Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY)
What Is It?
Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY), now more commonly referred to as monogenic diabetes, is an inherited form of diabetes mellitus. It is caused by a change in one of eleven genes. Up to 5% of all diabetes cases may be due to MODY. Just like other people with diabetes, people with MODY have trouble regulating their blood sugar levels.
This disorder can be confused with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. In type 1, the pancreas cannot make and release enough insulin. People with type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, usually make enough insulin, but their bodies cannot respond to it effectively (known as insulin resistance). Type 2 diabetes is usually associated with being overweight, but that is not true of type 1 diabetes or MODY. However, obesity does matter. An obese person with a MODY gene mutation may develop symptoms of diabetes sooner than someone of normal weight.
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About the Author
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
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