Objective: To study the general genetic pattern of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients.
Methods: 1,608 children were investigated for NIDDM family history, and 280 nuclear families were collected.
Results: The prevalence rates of NIDDM among first-degree relatives (2.38%), the parents (26.00%), the siblings (2.44%) and the offsprings (1.24%) were higher than that in general population respectively. The s/q was 10.17 by Penrose method, which was close to 1/q(1/2). The p(0) was 0.0244 by simple segregation analysis, which was lower than 0.10. The heritability of NIDDM was 0.54, using the Falconer Threshold Model.
Conclusion: NIDDM has a familial aggregation, but not fit to the mono-genetic models. NIDDM has the feature of multifactorial inheritance.