The frequency of type 2 diabetes mellitus among diabetic children in El Minia Governorate, Egypt

Abstract EN

Objectives : Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in children and adolescents is becoming an increasingly important public health concern throughout the world.

This study aimed to estimate the frequency of T2DM among diabetic young people in El-Minia Governorate, Egypt, and to detect its risk factors.

Methods : A total of 210 diabetic patients under 18 years old in Minia Governorate were included in the study and underwent a thorough history-taking, a physical examination and laboratory investigations.

Results : T2DM was present in 28 patients (13.3 %) ; it was significantly present in 18 females (64.3 %) and 20 (71.4 %) of them had a positive family history of DM.

T2DM patients had significantly higher BMI and waist circumference centiles for age and sex than those with T1DM.

Also, haemoglobin A1c %, serum C-peptide and cholesterol levels were significantly higher in T2DM than T1DM patients.

Finally, there were weak significant positive correlations between C-peptide level and both BMI and waist circumference.

Conclusion : T2DM is no longer a disease of adults but can also occur in children and adolescents.

The results suggested that obesity, female gender and a positive family history of DM are risk factors for T2DM.

Also, patients with T2DM had poorer glycaemic control and hypercholesterolemia than those with other types of diabetes.