Are all mitochondrial diseases inherited?
No. Today we understand that many diseases that lacked a proper definition are indeed caused by inherited defects in either the nuclear or mitochondrial genome. The prevalence of inherited mitochondrial disease is most likely underestimated. In addition to DNA defects causing mitochondrial disease, other non-DNA mechanisms can result in the malfunction of the mitochondria. A partial list includes pathophysiologies associated with metabolic disease, aging, trauma, ischemia, sepsis and poisonings.
