Disease susceptibility genes of "Common Diseases"

"Common Diseases" include diabetes, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, hypertension, dementia etc.  The genetic diagnosis and the development of new treatment for these common diseases should decrease the social burden and help to create healthy society.  

"Common diseases" are important not only because of its high incidence, but also because of the multi-factorial nature of its onset and progression.  Their onset and prognosis are determined by both genetic and environmental factors.  In addition, the genetic aspect is not monogenic, but it is polygenic, which is the characteristics of "Common Diseases".  

In contrast to monogenic diseases where a single gene is responsible for the phenotype, multiple genes exert their contibution to the onset and prognosis of common diseases.  

Disease susceptibility genes of diabetes

In case of diabetes as the representative multi-factorial disease, the increasing number of diabetes in Japan is threatening the medical cost and the society.  The number of diabetic patients now reached about 7 million patients and 7 millions of those with impaired glucose tolerance making a total number of 14 millions with a threat of diabetes.  This is similar to the epidemic increasing tendency in a total number of 150 million diabetic patients in the whole world.  The increase of patients with severe diabetic complications in Japan is reflected by the fact that  3,000 diabetic patients newly become blind per year and that 12,000 diabetic patients are introduced to hemodialysis every year in Japan.