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 Type 2 diabetes used to be known as "adult-onset" because it is most
common among the middle-aged and elderly, but in the last two
decades increasing numbers of children have succumbed, due to poor
diets and lack of exercise.
Details of the case are being presented on Thursday at the annual
meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in
Stockholm by Michael Yafi, director of pediatric endocrinology at
the University of Texas, Houston.
Since there is no global registry, it is not possible to say
definitively that the girl is youngest patient ever but Yafi said
his own research had not revealed any other cases in this age group.
"I'm sure there probably are others but they are either undiagnosed
or not reported yet," he told Reuters.
Diabetes is a growing problem worldwide with the number of diabetics
estimated to be 387 million in 2014 and forecast to soar to 592
million by 2035, according to the International Diabetes Federation
(IDF).
"This is a global problem," Yafi said. "Type 2 diabetes is no longer
limited to adults. Now when I see any obese child I screen the
patient for type 2 diabetes."
For the Hispanic toddler who presented at his Houston clinic, the
main symptoms were excessive urination and thirst, although her past
medical history was unremarkable. However, both her weight of 35
kilos (77 pounds) and her body mass index were in the top 5 percent
of all children her age.
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Tests quickly showed she had high blood sugar levels but she tested
negative for antibodies that would have signaled type 1 diabetes,
the auto-immune version of the disease that is usually diagnosed in
childhood in which the body does not produce insulin.
She was put on a diet and given a liquid version of the drug
metformin, since she had trouble swallowing tablets, and after six
months she had lost weight and was able to come off treatment.
Yafi said the case showed that type 2 diabetes could be reversed in
children by early diagnosis, appropriate therapy and changes in
lifestyle.
IDF estimates that diabetes costs healthcare systems worldwide more
than $600 billion a year and sales of diabetes treatments are big
business for drugmakers such as Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Eli Lilly.
(Editing by Mark Potter)
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