Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a polygenic and multi-factorial complex disease. The significant challenge of finding genetic markers that could be used to predict T2D risk remains unresolved. Saudi Arabia is one of several ethnicities with a high prevalence rate of T2D. A large number of studies have been performed that explored genetic factors associated with T2D risk. In this work, we conducted a systematic review of published studies on T2D genetic markers in the Saudi population. Multiple databases were employed in the literature review, which focused on studies that either reported the association or non-association of a genetic marker with T2D risk. Using appropriate search terms, we collected, analyzed, and selected 428 articles published between the years of 2000-2018, Of these, 18 articles reported a total of 67 polymorphisms in 46 genes that are strongly linked to T2D in the Saudi population. Most of the relevant studies used genotyping as the primary methodology to identify genetic markers of T2D. Most of these studies were published between the years of 2012-2017. A total of 23 polymorphisms in 17 genes were found to be associated with T2D risk in the Saudi population: KCNJ11, PPARG2, IRS1, VDE, WFS1, JAZF1, CDKN2A/B, TCF7L2, KCNQ1, HNF4A, DUSP9, APOE, HNF1A, SLC30A8, APOC3, SNAP25, and ACE.
Key words: Type 2 diabetes, Genetics, Saudi Arabia
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