In some rare cases, an obese toddler may develop Type 2 diabetes despite his or her young age. (Source: Flickr, some rights reserved.)
This past week, a case study of a young girl with type 2 diabetes was presented in Stockholm at a meeting of the European Association of the Study of Diabetes. Diagnosed when the girl was three-years-old, this case of type 2 diabetes is one of the youngest cases ever recorded (1).
Dr. Michael Yafi, who diagnosed and presented this particular case, found that the girl, when given a physical exam, was in the 95th percentile for BMI, height, and weight for her age. He contributed these factors to her family’s poor dietary habits. In addition, he did not find the antibodies indicative of type 1 diabetes were not present in her system. Between these two factors, as well as the clear symptoms of diabetes, Dr. Yafi diagnosed the girl with type 2 diabetes (1).
While young children have always been at risk for type 1 diabetes – which develops as a result of the individual’s genetics and environmental stressors – these rare type 2 cases are becoming increasingly common. The modern view is that the rise of this disease can be attributed to a similar trend in the prevalence of childhood obesity (1).
While these cases of type 2 in young children are shocking, but not impossible to cure. According to Yafi, the disease can reversed if given an early diagnosis and the appropriate response of lifestyle changes and treatments (1).
References:
1) Diabetologia. (2015, September 16). A toddler with type 2 diabetes.ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 26, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150916215548.html