January 24, 2008
DIDMOAD
Question from Galway, Ireland:
A male friend, age 31, has been diagnosed recently with type 1 diabetes. There is some concern as to his eye scan (his vision is fine but there is something showing up which requires further investigation). His mother and aunt both died of Wolfram’s syndrome. His father is not believed to be a carrier. Could he have further complications due to this?
Answer:
Wolfram’s syndrome involves type 1 diabetes mellitus. Wolfram’s syndrome is inherited by two different types of genetic inheritance patterns. One is autosomal recessive that involves a carrier gene from each parent. Another is through the maternal line. Therefore, even though his father is not a carrier, if the family passes the gene through the maternal line, there is still a possibility of involvement in the mother’s children. I would recommend he speak with a genetics specialist for further clarification.
JTL
