Many cases of 6q24-related transient neonatal diabetes mellitus are not inherited. In these cases, genetic changes occur as random events during the formation of reproductive cells (eggs and sperm) or in early embryonic development. Affected people typically have no history of the disorder in their family.
However sometimes, the genetic change responsible for 6q24-related transient neonatal diabetes mellitus is inherited. For example, a duplication of genetic material (B on the above diagram) on the paternal chromosome 6 can be passed from one generation to the next.
When 6q24-related transient neonatal diabetes mellitus is caused by ZFP57 gene changes (mutations), it is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. Autosomal recessive inheritance means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition. There is a 1 in 4 chance that this type of TND will happen again in siblings.