Neonatal diabetes

What is neonatal diabetes?

Neonatal diabetes, also called neonatal diabetes mellitus, is a condition that affects an infant’s ability to produce insulin.

Infants with neonatal diabetes do not produce enough insulin, which leads to high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. The condition is similar to type I diabetes, which affects people later in life.

What are the different types of neonatal diabetes?

There are two main types of neonatal diabetes:

1. Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus - This type usually disappears by one year of age, but may reappear at adolescence (12-17 years of age). This is the most common type of neonatal diabetes.

2. Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus - This type remains for life.

What are the signs and symptoms of neonatal diabetes?

• Dehydration 

• Excessive thirst

• Frequent urination

What are the causes of neonatal diabetes?

Neonatal diabetes is caused by a single gene mutation, which affects the production of insulin.