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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #406969
Research Project: Metabolic and Epigenetic Regulation of Nutritional Metabolism

Location: Children's Nutrition Research Center

Title: Characteristics of type 2 diabetes in female and male youth

Author
item CASTILLO RODRIGUEZ, BEATRIZ - Baylor College Of Medicine
item ASTUDILLO, MARCELA - Baylor College Of Medicine
item TOSUR, MUSTAFA - Baylor College Of Medicine
item RAFAEY, AHMAD - Baylor College Of Medicine
item MCKAY, SIRIPOOM - Baylor College Of Medicine
item BACHA, FIDA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item BALASUBRAMANYAM, ASHOK - Baylor College Of Medicine
item REDONDO, MARIA - Baylor College Of Medicine

Submitted to: Clinical Diabetes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2023
Publication Date: 10/3/2023
Citation: Castillo Rodriguez, B., Astudillo, M., Tosur, M., Rafaey, A., McKay, S., Bacha, F., Balasubramanyam, A., Redondo, M.J. 2023. Characteristics of type 2 diabetes in female and male youth. Clinical Diabetes. 41(2):239–243. https://doi.org/10.2337/cd22-0057.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2337/cd22-0057

Interpretive Summary: Type 2 diabetes is increasing in children. It usually affects children during puberty. However, some children are diagnosed earlier than 10 years of age. Investigators in Houston wanted to understand which children are at risk for earlier onset of type 2 diabetes. They surveyed a large number of youth diagnosed with the disease from Texas Children's Hospital. They showed sex differences in youth-onset type 2 diabetes with females diagnosed at a younger age than males. The earlier age of presentation of diabetes in females may be related to earlier puberty in females with obesity. Yet, these girls presented with lower prevalence of early complications than males. This study provide evidence for sex differences in diabetes onset and risk of complications.

Technical Abstract: The incidence of type 2 diabetes in children is rising and carries a worse prognosis than in adults. The influence of sex on pediatric type 2 diabetes outcomes has not been well investigated. We studied 715 youth with type 2 diabetes diagnosed at a median age of 13.7 years and compared sex differences in demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics within the first year of diagnosis. Females diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were younger and at a higher stage of pubertal development than males, yet presented with lower A1Cs, a lower prevalence of diabetic ketoacidosis, and higher HDL cholesterol levels.