CLINICAL-FEATURES IN PERSONS WITH A FAMILY HISTORY OF DIABETES COMPARED TO CONTROLS (THE 2ND GENERATION FREDERICIA STUDY)

Objective. To compare clinical and biochemical features in non-diabeti c persons with a family history of non-insulin dependent diabetes mell itus (NIDDM) to non-diabetic persons without a family history of diabe tes. Design. Cross-sectional study. Setting. Population-based survey i n Fredericia, Denmark. Subjects. Seven hundred and forty subjects, the second generation of an earlier defined cohort was examined. The medi an age was 48 (range 26-65) years. Of the 740 subjects 696 were non-di abetic. Interventions. The subjects had examination. Main outcome meas ures. Known risk factors for development of diabetes and cardiovascula r disease. Results. More offspring of diabetic persons had NIDDM (chi( 2) = 6.36, P < 0.05). Non-diabetic males with a family history of diab etes had a higher BMI, fasting blood glucose, and triglycerides compar ed to males without a family history of diabetes. Nondiabetic females with a family history of diabetes had a higher BMI, fasting blood gluc ose, HbA(1C), diastolic blood pressure, and lower HDL-cholesterol than female offspring of non-diabetics. In a multiple regression model we found that non-diabetic offspring of diabetic persons had higher fasti ng blood glucose and HbA(1C) compared to offspring of nondiabetic pers ons when adjusted for the independent variables age, BMI, WHR, and sex . Conclusion, Our results may indicate that the only inherited factors from NIDDM patients are plasma blood glucose, HbA(1C) and increased B MI which may be an indication for later diabetes, whereas other cardio vascular risk factors may be inherited independently of diabetes but a ssociated with BMI.