Do patients with KCNJ11-related neonatal diabetes differ from unaffected siblings in anxiety, social responsiveness, and grit?
Patients with KCNJ11-related neonatal diabetes exhibit significant social functioning difficulties and high anxiety, but maintain robust self-resiliency, highlighting the need for early neurodevelopmental screening.
Our results agree with previous studies suggesting significant difficulties with social functioning in KCNJ11-NDM, with 7/10 participants having scores suggestive of ASD, strongly reinforcing the need for early neurodevelopmental screening to allow for prompt support. Our report adds to the knowledge of this population in finding robust grit scores but with a high level of anxiety in both KCNJ11-NDM and unaffected siblings. Although families affected by KCNJ11-NDM may have a high risk of anxiety disorders, it is encouraging that affected and unaffected children exhibit robust self-resiliency that will help support functioning through the challenges of life. Study of additional individuals will help to clarify specific challenges, long-term outcomes, and best approaches for monitoring and support.
Desai et al. (Tue,) studied this question.