Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Monogenic diabetes is a rare form of diabetes which accounts for 5% of all diabetes cases. This is caused by a single gene mutation mostly inherited from an autosomal dominant pattern. The two types of monogenic diabetes are Neonatal monogenic diabetes (NMD) and Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). Accurate diagnosis of monogenic diabetes remains to be a great challenge for most clinicians due to its overlapping clinical features from other forms of diabetes.

Objectives: It is our primary objective to design a clinical tool that serves as a guide in the diagnosis of monogenic diabetes. Our secondary objective is to design a patient focused approach in clinical management and early diagnosis.

Methods

Conclusion: It is our recommendation that primary care physicians should use this tool as to differentiate clinical characteristics of monogenic diabetes from other forms of diabetes. Genetic testing serves as a confirmatory tool in the diagnosis and defines the appropriate treatment plan for the patient. Performing a screening test based on the American Diabetes Association guidelines, coupled with educating and counselling the patient/family should be part of a standard of care for early and accurate management of diabetes.