Texas Toddler Diagnosed With Adult-Onset Type 2 Diabetes, Doctor Blames Obesity

A Texas toddler has developed adult-onset type 2 diabetes before she has even seen her fourth birthday. The obese 3-year-old toddler was taken to a see a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Texas due to complaints of excessive urination and thirst.

The 3-year-old Hispanic toddler from Texas weighs 77 pounds, Newser reports. Dr. Michael Yafi said the little girl’s medical history was “unremarkable” and no history of diabetes exists in the family, Reuters notes. In a press release, after reviewing the toddler’s diet, Dr. Yafi said the the adult-onset diabetes was likely a result of “poor family nutritional habits with uncontrolled counting of calories and fat.”

The University of Texas doctor will present his research and discuss the case of the obese Texas toddler during an upcoming global diabetes conference. Dr. Yafi added that he has never before encountered type 2 diabetes in such a young patient before.

Despite the 3-year-old toddler being the first case of adult-onset diabetes in such a young patient, Dr. Yafi now plans on screening all obese children for the condition. The doctor now feels there are far more such patients in the United States.

The University of Texas doctor stated that he was able to reverse the onset of Type 2 diabetes in the Texas toddler because he discovered the condition so early. Dr. Yafi reportedly used the prescription drug metformin and a regime of increased physical activity and reduced food portions in his treatment plan. The obese toddler was able to lose weight, and her blood glucose levels have now reportedly returned to normal. Six months after beginning treatment, the girl no longer has any signs of diabetes.

“Based on symptoms, physical findings of obesity and laboratory results, the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was made. Reversal of type 2 diabetes in children is possible by early screening of obese children, early diagnosis, appropriate therapy and lifestyle modification,” Dr. Yafi said. “The incidence of T2DM 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, although of course type 1 diabetes can also still occur in obese children and is in fact much more common in young children than type 2 diabetes.”

Medical researchers claims that more than half of American adults are either prediabetic or diabetic, according to a report in the Guardian.

Are you surprised that children are not getting enough physical activity and becoming obese at a young age?

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