Abstract:
The increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus has led to a growing number of chronic
complications including diabetic nephropathy (DN). In high prevalence of diabetes mellitus, DN is associated with high morbidity and mortality primarily due to cardiovascular diseases. Genetic factors play a significant role in the pathogenesis of DN and genetically susceptible individuals that can develop after being exposed to environmental parameters. DN is assumed to be a complex, polygenic disease. Genetic predisposition to diabetes is familial, and often with concomitant obesity. A number of detected polymorphisms in genes is a predisposing risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. Two main categories have been used to identify the genes associated with DN: (1) analysis of candidate genes, and (2) more recently genome-wide scan. A significant effort has been
made to identify these main genes, whereas results are still inconsistent with different genes associated to a small effect in specific populations. A variety of genetic markers characteristic of different population groups confirms the special significance of the ethnic component for identifying hereditary risks, which determines the relevance and need for a detailed, comprehensive study of the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes.
