More kids get type 2 diabetes

More children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes every year with some weighing up to 150 kilograms at just 12 years old, says Starship paediatrician Dr Craig Jeffries.

The rate of diagnosis in children was growing at about 3 per cent a year in Auckland, the endocrinologist said. ‘‘We are getting about 10 to 15 each year.’’

It wasn’t explosive but was ‘‘insidious’’.

A study authored by Jeffries found 104 children presented with type 2 diabetes between 1997 and 2018 in Auckland.

‘‘What is problematic is that they are getting type 2 diabetes 30 to 40 years before their parents were.

‘‘By the age of 25, the majority have a chronic complication or kidney failure.’’

He called for a national register that included the age of those with diabetes.

Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners medical director Dr Bryan Betty said it was a ‘‘hidden disease’’.

Betty, who works as a GP in Porirua, said his youngest type 2 diabetes patient was 17, while people in their 20s and 30s were diagnosed every other week.

‘‘In certain practices in certain areas it’s becoming frequent. There are environmental factors and genetic factors,’’ he said.

‘‘I think it is one of the largest unsung medical inequity issues in this country. It is poorly understood what’s going on here.’’

Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, is primarily a disease of middle-aged and older people related to excess weight, diet and lack of physical activity.

But people of Ma¯ori, Pacific and South-Asian ethnicities are particularly at risk for genetic reasons, as well as those whose mothers had diabetes when pregnant. Type 2 diabetes often leads to other illnesses such as liver and heart disease. It can also lead to limb amputations.

Betty said the health system was not set up to cope with the issue, while it was ‘‘very difficult’’ for young people to manage their diabetes.

‘‘We know a lot more resources are needed in communities and younger people need a lot of support.’’

Effective management in the community was not adequately funded, he said.

Meanwhile, doctors were limited in treatment options.

Bariatric surgery, an operation that helped people lose weight by making changes to the digestive system, was not an option for those aged under 18.

They were also forced to give children type 2 diabetes medication intended for adults.

But there had not been any issues with using adult medication on children.

‘‘There are no drugs for young children,’’ Jeffries said.

‘‘The problem with that is they don’t have a lot of studies of young kids.’’

Drug companies had little reason to do drug trials because there were not many places in the world where children had type 2 diabetes. Stigma around type 2 diabetes was also a heavy burden for sufferers.

‘‘The idea is that if they just lose weight or stop eating KFC they lose their diabetes, but most of these kids have higher-risk genes,’’ he said.

‘‘Huge stigma is there but, in reality, we know weight loss is hard for everybody in society.’’

More than 250,000 people in New Zealand have been diagnosed with diabetes – most of which are type 2.

Type 1 diabetes is a life-long variation of the disease that typically takes hold in childhood or adolescence. Symptoms can appear suddenly and can cause serious health complications over time. However, the condition can be managed with insulin replacement therapy and lifestyle changes.

Type 2 is usually associated with middle-aged and older people, and is understood to be related to excess weight, diet and lack of physical activity.

The Ministry of Health was approached for comment.