Genetic Testing in India

The obstacles to a monogenic diagnosis in India are practical rather than medical, and worth naming plainly.

Cost. Genetic testing is expensive relative to routine diabetes care, insurance coverage is patchy, and it is frequently paid out of pocket. Cost is documented as one of the main reasons monogenic diabetes goes undiagnosed.

Awareness. Limited familiarity with the condition among clinicians is another documented barrier. Many doctors will never have managed a confirmed case.

Where testing happens. Panel testing is available through larger private laboratories, some medical college and tertiary hospital genetics departments, and specialist diabetes centres. It generally requires a clinician's request rather than being something you can walk in and buy.

How to approach it. Start by getting the cheaper groundwork done — autoantibodies, C-peptide with a paired glucose, and a written three-generation family history. Those three together make the case for testing far stronger than a request on its own.

Then ask for referral to a centre that has done this before. A specialist diabetes centre or a genetics department is a better route than a general clinic.

Also ask about research programmes. Monogenic diabetes registries and research studies sometimes test without charge, and are actively interested in cases from under-studied populations — which includes India.

It is worth pursuing. The result can change treatment for you and for several relatives.