[Neonatal diabetes mellitus and microcephaly. Indications for autosomal recessive inheritance]

Still, there are a lot of questions about the pathogenesis of neonatal diabetes mellitus. In the author's opinion neonatal diabetes mellitus is a distinct entity which differs from the well-known types of diabetes in children (type 1 diabetes, MODY-diabetes) and transient neonatal hyperglycemia regarding pathogenesis, pathophysiology and prognosis. Casuistics of three children two of whom were sibs are reported in detail to demonstrate the characteristics of neonatal diabetes mellitus. Regarding the reported sibs we suppose genetic origin of the disease. Autosomal-recessive mode of inheritance must be assumed.