“Can a person get diabetes at any age?”

Diabetes can be diagnosed at any age.

Diabetes can happen at any age. There are three major categories of diabetes:

1. Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, or Insulin Dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)
2. Type 11 Diabetes mellitus, or non-Insulin dependent diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM)
3. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, which occurs during pregnancy

Basically, diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not play its role in regulating glucose (sugar) in the blood stream, e.g., autoimmune diseases, family history, pancreatic exhaustion, infection, malignancy, steroid induced, etc.

Yes, type 1 diabetes is genetically inherited and from a young age, requires insulin. So there is no age that is too young for diabetes.

And also, in those over age 50, there is a bunch of undiagnosed pre-diabetes and chronic metabolic syndrome. So we all have to pay attention to our diets.

Yes you can get Type2 diabetes at any age. We don't know what is two young. I have had a pt. age 4 yrs. old with it. We no longer use age as a criteria for diagnosis. Older people, such as my mother & I developed Type 1 DM in our 50's. We are seeing an increase in T2DM in children & it worries us. Also you don't have to be overwt. to develop it though those who are overwt. have a greater chance of having it than normal wt. or thin people. There are so many other factors (most of them we don't know) we are looking at. Just accept it and keep it under control (HbA1c less than 7%) & you can have a normal life span without complications. Good luck.

Yes, any age. Family history, obesity, diet, and pregnancy are some causes.