In news that has shocked many parents, a three-year-old girl from Houston is the youngest person to ever be diagnosed with the preventable disorder- Type 2 diabetes.
The 5.7 stone youngster’s BMI was in the top 5 percent for her age group, and she was suffering from excessive thirst and frequent urination- both indicative of the disorder.
Born at term weighing 7 lbs, the child tested negative for antibodies that would indicate Type 1 diabetes, and despite both parents being overweight, there was no family history of diabetes.
Researching her case, the University of Texas confirmed the family had ‘poor nutritional habits', with their food being high in calories and fat.
Following the diagnosis the girl was put on diabetes drug metformin, and her parents were informed on how best to improve her diet and lifestyle.
Thankfully the youngster lost 25% of her body weight in the six months following the diagnosis, with her blood glucose levels now measuring as normal.
Dr Michael Yafi, a paediatric endocrinologist, explained:
“Reversal of type 2 diabetes in children is possible by early screening of obese children, early diagnosis, appropriate therapy and lifestyle modification.
“The incidence of T2DM [type 2 diabetes] has increased dramatically worldwide in children due to the epidemic of child obesity. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of type 2 diabetes even in very young obese children, although, of course, type 1 diabetes can also still occur in obese children and is in fact much more common in young children than type 2 diabetes.”
Diabetes UK estimates that around 600 children in the UK have type 2 diabetes, a very small number of whom will be younger than 10.