“Can a person get diabetes at any age?”
My son is 13 year old, and he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I always thought this disease affected adults only. Can a person get type 2 diabetes at any age? He is also overweight, but I wouldn't consider him obese.
8 Answers
Years ago, we thought any child who developed diabetes at any young age until they reached 30 years of age was a Type 1 diabetic. Now we know that children who are obese or even sometime overweight and has the genetic disposition can develop Type 2 diabetes. There are blood tests that can be done to be able to diagnose what type of diabetes your child has. What is important to know is, as a youth with type 2 diabetes, weight loss could help cure the diabetes and it could disappear.
Yes. Type 2 diabetes is now diagnosed more and more often as obesity epidemic is climbing in children. Wether a child is obese or overweight can only be determined by pediatrician and the best treatment in addition to medications (if advised by the doctor) is weight loss through diet and exercise. This can help cure diabetes or prevent future deadly complications from diabetes.
Dr Marina Strizhevsky
Dr Marina Strizhevsky
The simple answer is yes. Glucose intolerance (a formal way to describe diabetes mellitus) can occur at any ago, from birth to old age.
Yes. But he could also have type 1 diabetes in an early stage.
Hello,
You are absolutely right. We use to think that type 2 diabetes only affected older people. Unfortunately, due to increasing rates of obesity in children, defined by a body mass index (BMI) greater than 90th percentile for age, the prevalence of this disease is increasing in teenagers. My youngest patient with T2DM is 6 years old. However, it is important to rule out T1DM as well, because he can have a "mixed" diabetes, T1DM + T2DM.
You are absolutely right. We use to think that type 2 diabetes only affected older people. Unfortunately, due to increasing rates of obesity in children, defined by a body mass index (BMI) greater than 90th percentile for age, the prevalence of this disease is increasing in teenagers. My youngest patient with T2DM is 6 years old. However, it is important to rule out T1DM as well, because he can have a "mixed" diabetes, T1DM + T2DM.
Diabetes is a common metabolic disease in America. Almost 10% (over 30 million) of the American population has diabetes. Over 90% have type 2 diabetes and the rest (10% or 1.25 million) have type 1. Out of this children <19 years make up a small fraction. About 300,000 children have diabetes. Currently, out of the 300,000 children with diabetes, over 85% have type 1 diabetes and closer to 15% (40,000) may have type 2 diabetes. Before the 1990s type 2 diabetes in children was unheard. Childhood type 2 diabetes was about 3% of the diabetes in children though in adults it was over 90%. In the last 30 years type 2 diabetes in children has been catching up to about 15%, mainly due to the epidemic and/ or pandemic of obesity. In native American children most of the childhood diabetes is type 2 diabetes. In the African American population still 60% is type 2 diabetes and the rest is type 1 diabetes. In the Hispanic population type 2 is catching up to the level of type 1 diabetes. In the Caucasian population type 1 diabetes is the highest though type 2 diabetes is increasing but also type 1 is increasing more than type 2. In the Caucasian population type 1 is increasing at a rate of 1.2 % while type 2 is increasing at a rate of less than 1 % (0.6%) annually ( both of them are increasing). In minorities, the African American, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian Americans type 2 diabetes is increasing at a higher rate (6.3%, 3.1%, 9%, 8.5%, respectively) than type 1 diabetes in children though both of these diabetes are on the rise. It is predicted that both types of diabetes will continue to increase in the future. Childhood type 2 diabetes will continue to increase until obesity rate stabilizes in the future. In some centers type 2 diabetes is the most encountered diabetes in children.
Type 2 diabetes is mainly driven by over weight and obesity, though strong family history and genetic susceptibity also play major role. With the epidemics of childhood overweight and obesity type 2 diabetes in children is being encountered as in children as young as 5years old. Because diabetes is starting much earlier and will have longer duration it will expose them to complications of diabetes at an early age and shortens their life expectancy. In average type 2 diabetes takes about 5-10 years to evolve (to have full blown symptoms of diabetes) in most cases. Over 40% of children with type 2 diabetes will have no symptom during diagnosis. Therefore many children with diabetes are not diagnosed at the right time. Initially the person will develop a state of prediabetes before developing type 2 diabetes. Even the prediabetes state will have metabolic insult similar to diabetes. Therefore type 2 diabetes in children has a greater risk for future complications.
The first line of treatment in children with type 2 diabetes is healthy diet, regular structured daily exercise and modest weight loss (maintaining close to ideal weight). medications may be added as indicated, mainly metformin. Maintaining HA1c <7.0% is essential to avoid long term and short term complications. Medications such as Oral hypoglycemic agents (glipezide, glyburide), GLP1 receptor agonists (Victoza, Byetta), DPP-4 inhibitors should be utilized if indicated. Victoza may be helpful in weight loss as well. If HA1c does no improve < 7.5 after reasonable trial with medications, insulin should be utilized judiciously.
Going back to your son: Yes, Type 2 diabetes can develop at a young age, as young as 5 years old. And in some circumstances even at younger age. At the age of 13 years, most boys are going through puberty and your son is likely in the middle of his puberty. Puberty is a state of insulin resistance and that tips the balance for diabetes for those who have genetic susceptibility and a strong family history, and are also gaining more weight. If there is a family history and a genetic susceptibility a little weight gain may be sufficient enough for type 2 diabetes. Sometime you can have type 2 diabetes with reasonable weight. So there are many factors in to making type 2 diabetes. However weigh gain plays a bigger role.
You need to make sure your son tries to lose weight through healthy balance diet and regular/structured daily physical activity. He needs to be on his anti diabetes medications with or without insulin as indicated. Work closely with your doctor and/or your diabetes educators. Maintain an HA1c of <7%. You will give your son a brighter future to be part of the great American dream.
Good luck.
Type 2 diabetes is mainly driven by over weight and obesity, though strong family history and genetic susceptibity also play major role. With the epidemics of childhood overweight and obesity type 2 diabetes in children is being encountered as in children as young as 5years old. Because diabetes is starting much earlier and will have longer duration it will expose them to complications of diabetes at an early age and shortens their life expectancy. In average type 2 diabetes takes about 5-10 years to evolve (to have full blown symptoms of diabetes) in most cases. Over 40% of children with type 2 diabetes will have no symptom during diagnosis. Therefore many children with diabetes are not diagnosed at the right time. Initially the person will develop a state of prediabetes before developing type 2 diabetes. Even the prediabetes state will have metabolic insult similar to diabetes. Therefore type 2 diabetes in children has a greater risk for future complications.
The first line of treatment in children with type 2 diabetes is healthy diet, regular structured daily exercise and modest weight loss (maintaining close to ideal weight). medications may be added as indicated, mainly metformin. Maintaining HA1c <7.0% is essential to avoid long term and short term complications. Medications such as Oral hypoglycemic agents (glipezide, glyburide), GLP1 receptor agonists (Victoza, Byetta), DPP-4 inhibitors should be utilized if indicated. Victoza may be helpful in weight loss as well. If HA1c does no improve < 7.5 after reasonable trial with medications, insulin should be utilized judiciously.
Going back to your son: Yes, Type 2 diabetes can develop at a young age, as young as 5 years old. And in some circumstances even at younger age. At the age of 13 years, most boys are going through puberty and your son is likely in the middle of his puberty. Puberty is a state of insulin resistance and that tips the balance for diabetes for those who have genetic susceptibility and a strong family history, and are also gaining more weight. If there is a family history and a genetic susceptibility a little weight gain may be sufficient enough for type 2 diabetes. Sometime you can have type 2 diabetes with reasonable weight. So there are many factors in to making type 2 diabetes. However weigh gain plays a bigger role.
You need to make sure your son tries to lose weight through healthy balance diet and regular/structured daily physical activity. He needs to be on his anti diabetes medications with or without insulin as indicated. Work closely with your doctor and/or your diabetes educators. Maintain an HA1c of <7%. You will give your son a brighter future to be part of the great American dream.
Good luck.
YES. We used to call these Adult Onset & Juvenile Diabetes but we have now found that both kinds can occur at any age. In my practice I have had a 4 Yr. old with classic Type 2 diabetes. We changed the names to Type 1 & Type2 because of this age overlap as age is not a factor. My mother & I developed Type 1 diabetes after age 50 & I have many children in my practice with Type 2. Get his wt. down & he will improve. In any event he has a long time to have this disease so keep his blood sugar down & his HbA1c below 7% to prevent later complications.
Unfortunately young people are less active these days with computer games and television competing for their time and attention. Fast food is readily available and relatively inexpensive. This combination of risk factors, sedentary lifestyle and weight gain, increases the body's resistance to insulin and results in a steady rise in blood glucose levels resulting in diabetes.
