The genetic side of type 2 diabetes - A review

Aim: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a complex disease. Interactions between genetic susceptible variants and environmental cues results in the development of this heterogenous disease. Having an understanding of the genetics of T2DM may lead to a better perspective and management of the pathogenesis contributing to T2DM. Materials and methods: Published primary and secondary sources were reviewed covering the keywords genetics + type 2 diabetes using PubMed and Google Scholar as the main databases. Full articles were considered when the title and the abstract was found to be sufficiently related to the review's aim. Results: Various genetic aspects of T2DM were summarised including a general understanding of the heritability and heterogeneity of T2DM. Furthermore, an explanation of the different genetic modalities that can be used to identify T2DM susceptible genes was provided. Conclusion: In this day and era, researchers and healthcare professionals working in the field of metabolic disorders should have an understanding of T2DM genetics. The future lies in preventive and management action plans targeting the combination of genetics and environmental risk factors for a better health outcome. (C) 2019 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.