Definition of the MEN Syndromes
MEN stands for "Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia".
The MEN syndromes are conditions which cause overactivity and enlargement in
certain endocrine glands. MEN syndromes are usually (but not always) inherited
conditions and therefore they run in families. When they are inherited, they are passed
from one generation to the next.
There
are three main types of multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) - MEN 1, MEN 2a and MEN 2b. Each type of MEN is associated with a specific cluster
of illnesses. Physicians use the term "syndrome" when clinical diseases
come in groups of three. Each of the three types of MEN syndromes, therefore, have
three diseases. The main health problems in each of the MEN syndromes are:
There are specific genetic causes for each of the three types of MEN. Any
particular MEN family will have only one type of MEN, either MEN 1, MEN
2a or MEN 2b. Therefore, families with one type of MEN do not have an increased risk of
developing an other type of MEN.
What it Means to be a Genetic Disease
Each cell in the body contains many thousands of genes which determine every
aspect of body function. Every person is made up of the genes they receive from there
parents at the time of conception. Half of a person's genes come from their mother and
half from their father. People with MEN inherit an abnormality (mutation) in one
specific gene (that's why they only get one type of MEN syndrome, and their children are
at risk only for that same MEN syndrome). Only people who inherit an abnormality in one of
the specific MEN genes can develop MEN.
If a person has MEN, each of their children has a 50% chance of inheriting the
condition. This means each child of a person with MEN has an equal chance of either
inheriting or not inheriting the disease. For example, if a person with MEN has two
children, the odds are one will be affected. Similarly, if a person with MEN has six
children the odds are three will inherit the disease. Inherited diseases in which the
likelihood of an affected person passing a disease to their children is 50%, are known as autosomal
dominant diseases. A person with a family history of MEN cannot pass MEN to their
children unless they themselves have inherited MEN. Only people with an MEN gene mutation
are able to pass the condition to their children. Therefore, if your parents have MEN and
you do not, your children will not get the disease.
More information on MEN Syndromes can be found
on our sister Web site: EndocrineWeb.com
The following links will take you to specific pages within EndocrineWeb
(the world's largest endocrine Web site), or you can click on the logo and
go to the front page of EndocrineWeb.
