Understanding Type 2 Diabetes in children

Dr Archana Dayal Arya discusses the rise of Type 2 Diabetes in children.

- Dr Archana Dayal Arya

Being overweight is closely tied to the development of Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes is increasingly seen in children because of an increase in the rate of obesity. Overweight children have an increased likelihood of insulin resistance. As the body struggles to regulate insulin, high blood sugar leads to a number of potentially serious health problems.

In the past 30 years, obesity in children has doubled and obesity in adolescents has quadrupled. Genetics may also play a role. For instance, the risk of Type 2 Diabetes increases if one parent or both parents has the condition.

Type 2 Diabetes is an asymptomatic (has no symptoms) disease. Most children and adults don't even realize that they have Diabetes and a lot of children remain undiagnosed. It is only during routine screening that these children are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Some common symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes include:

Increased thirst

Frequent or nighttime urination

Blurry vision

Unusual fatigue

Puberty and Diabetes

Puberty is the period of sexual development marking the transition from childhood to adulthood. It usually occurs around age 11 for girls and 12 for boys. Puberty's physical, psychological and social changes have an impact on Diabetes management. During puberty, the production of testosterone in boys and oestrogen in girls increases. It is a period of relative insulin resistance. Obesity can also create insulin resistance. So an obese child is already insulin resistant which further worsens during puberty. As a result, the chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes increase during puberty.