A
three-year-old girl has been diagnosed with diabetes caused by obesity,
in what is thought to be the youngest ever case of the disease.
The
unidentified patient, who lives in Houston, Texas, weighed
five-and-a-half stone (35kg) and was in the heaviest 5 per cent of her
age group.
According
to World Health Organisation weight charts, a three-and-a-half-year-old
on the 50th percentile, where many children fall for weight, would
weigh around 2st 7lb (15kg).
Some 90 per cent weigh around 40lb (18kg) - almost 3st - or less.
Dr Michael
Yafi, of the Department of Paediatric Endocrinology at the University of
Texas, who saw the child in his clinic, said the case highlighted the
extent of global epidemic of diabetes.
He
said that both the child's parents were also obese and that the family
had 'poor nutritional habits' and 'uncontrolled' intake of calories and
fats.
There
has been an explosion in cases of type 2 diabetes, which is usually
caused by being overweight, and doctors say this form is becoming
increasingly common in teenagers and children.
The youngest known case in Britain was a seven-year-old, although around 1,300 under 18s have been diagnosed with the illness.
Dr
Yafi, who is presenting details of the patient at the European
Association for the Study of Diabetes in Stockholm, Sweden, said the
illness was becoming increasingly common in very young children.
The three-and-a-half-year-old girl attended his paediatric clinic for evaluation of obesity.
She
was suffering excessive thirst and going to the toilet a lot and, while
both her parents were obese, there was no family history of diabetes.
Experts
reviewed the girl's diet and took blood tests and found 'poor family
nutritional habits with uncontrolled counting of calories and fat'.
Dr
Yafi said he had successfully treated the Hispanic girl over the past
six months with the drug Metformin to control her blood sugar levels, a
low calorie diet and regular weight loss.
She
has since lost enough weight to enable her blood sugar levels to return
to normal so her diabetes has been reversed, or temporarily cured,
although it may return.
Dr Yafi said: 'Based on symptoms, physical findings of obesity and laboratory results the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was made.
'The incidence of 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.
'Reversal
of type 2 diabetes in children is possible by early screening of obese
children, early diagnosis, appropriate therapy and lifestyle
modification.'
Douglas
Twenefour, clinical advisor at Diabetes UK, said: 'This is clearly a
sad case but we are pleased to hear this girl's blood glucose level has
now returned to normal.
'It
is important to emphasise that Type 2 diabetes is very rare in young
children, with most children with diabetes having Type 1, which is not
related to weight or lifestyle in any way.
'But there are a small number - probably less than 100 - children aged under 10 in the UK who have Type 2 diabetes.
'This
highlights how important it is that children get a healthy start to
life, which includes a healthy diet and regular exercise, both to
prevent ill-health in childhood but also to reduce their risk of
developing Type 2 diabetes and other serious health conditions much
later in life.'
Last
month campaigners warned that type 2 diabetes threatened to bankrupt
the NHS, highlighting figures showing it had increased by 60 per cent in
the last decade.
The
charity Diabetes UK said if the Government does not take action to
prevent the condition and improve care, the costs will 'spiral out of
control' .
Source:Dailymail
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