Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the pediatric population of a third-level care hospital in Mexico City in 2013 and 2018

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is a state of hyperglycemia due to a defect in the secretion and/or action of insulin, and it represents the most common form of diabetes worldwide. In Mexico, 10.3% of the adult population have been diagnosed with T2DM and it is expanding to the pediatric population.

AIM

To evaluate and compare the prevalence of T2DM in the pediatric population at the Children's Hospital, "Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez (HIMFG)", at two time periods: 2013 vs 2018.

METHODS

A comparison of two cross-sectional studies was done (2013 and 2018). The study population was comprised of children and adolescents 8-17 years old, from the Diabetes Clinic at the aforementioned institution. A comprehensive interrogation regarding family history and perinatal antecedents was performed. Complete blood work after 12 h of fasting was obtained to determine serum levels of glucose, glycated hemoglobin, lipid profile, C-peptide, and insulin. The data were analysed using the statistical software package SPSS v. 23.0. A P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

A total of 151 patients were included: 47 from 2013, and 104 from 2018. There were age differences noted between the two periods with younger patients presenting T2DM in 2013. Also, T2DM predominated in the male sex in 55.36% in 2013 vs 32.7% in 2018. An increased prevalence of T2DM was noted from 2013 to 2018 (20.2% vs 33.0%, respectively), which was a statistically significant 12.8% increase (P < 0.0001). The illness phenotype was more aggressive in the 2018 group with the presence of a higher proportion of obesity, insulin resistance, and adverse lipid profiles.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of T2DM at the HIMFG institution from 2013 to 2018 increased by 12.8% (20.2% vs 33.0%, respectively). The study results demonstrate the need for vigilance in T2DM trends, and to strengthen programs of healthy nutrition and physical activity as well as early detection and risk factors for obesity, data on insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, with the aim of preventing the development of T2DM.

[Efectos sobre el perfil metabólico, el índice de masa corporal, la composición corporal y la comorbilidad en adolescentes con obesidad mórbida, que han fallado al manejo conservador para bajar de peso, operados de manga gástrica laparoscópica. Reporte del primer grupo de cirugía bariátrica pediátrica en México]

Introduction

Obesity is a world pandemic; in Mexico 3 out of 10 adolescents suffer from it. Conservative management of morbid obesity is not effective and bariatric surgery is the only useful therapy. International pediatric bariatric surgery series are scarce and in Mexico there is limited experience.

Method

We analyze the metabolic repercussions, comorbidities and complications in our series of Mexican adolescents with morbid obesity who underwent a gastric sleeve between 2011 and 2015.

Results

54 morbid obese adolescents were included, 10 fulfilled criteria for surgery. 5 were male, mean age 14.3 ± 1.4 years, weight 117.3 ± 15.2 kg, initial body mass index 43.71 ± 4.1, waist 130.3 ± 6.8 cm, 8 dyslipidemia, 6 metabolic syndrome, 5 liver steatosis, 4 hypertension, 3 type-2 diabetes. Complications: 2 atelectasis, 1 fistula, 1 pneumonia, 1 cholelithiasis; no patient developed nutritional deficits. Weight loss of 33% one-year after surgery and 23% at 2 years. Body fat decreased 22.4% and water content increased 36.1%. Excess weight loss was significant p = 0.001. Two-years after surgery severe steatosis and diabetes had subsided, lipid profile improved and only one patient remained hypertensive.

Discussion

Our results demonstrate that all serious comorbidities associated to morbid obesity were improved (diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension) and will confer a better prognosis for these children.

Conclusions

Gastric sleeve is useful in morbid obese adolescents. Longer follow-up is needed.