Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
While the majority of children with type 2 diabetes are indeed overweight or obese, nearly one in four children with diabetes are not. Information to take into account to improve screening, according to a Canadian study.
In children as in adults, overweight and obesity are risk factors that can lead to screening for type 2 diabetes. But a recent study reveals that nearly one in four children with diabetes type 2 is not obese at the time of diagnosis. A proportion that would improve current screening methods for some children and adolescents.
Three quarters of children of children and adolescents with diabetes are overweight
In this Ontario study, researchers combined the results of 53 previous studies from several countries looking at obesity rates in children and adolescents. This meta-analysis showed that about three-quarters of children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes were indeed obese. But by deduction, a quarter would not suffer.
“It is likely that there is a subset of children with normal body mass measurements who may have diabetes, but who are overlooked in current body mass-focused screening”concludes the author of the study, Dr. M. Constantine Samaan.
Other factors remain to be studied to understand the mechanism of insulin
Current screening guidelines are, of course, not just about obesity or overweight: other risk factors for type 2 diabetes are already being considered, such as family history of diabetes, ethnicity, or still gestational diabetes for the mother (diabetes during her pregnancy).
“However, it is likely that these factors are not always taken into account when children are not overweight”Samaan said in the pages of Healtline’s magazine.
Early detection remains a key goal for children
According to the author, type 2 diabetes is also associated with other medical conditions such as abnormal blood lipid levels, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, fatty liver disease and ovarian syndrome. polycystic in girls. “For these patients, it is important to consider the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and to screen for it”did he declare.
More generally, the author of the study announces that it would be necessary to develop a deeper understanding of the mechanisms – other than body mass – at the origin of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. To find out why some children have impaired insulin production or response and how to better detect them early. A large, multi-center research study is currently planned in the United States to find out more.