Insulin resistance at diagnosis in Japanese children with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background: Insulin resistance at diagnosis was investigated in Japanese children with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: A total of 160 children with T2DM were divided into groups on the basis of percent overweight at time of diagnosis: group A (n = 28), <20%; group B (n = 55), 20-39%; group C (n = 37), 40-59%; group D (n = 40), ≥ 60%. Indicators of insulin resistance at diagnosis were compared among the four patient groups, and also between the children with T2DM and the 201 age-matched normal Japanese children.

Results: There were no significant differences in plasma glucose (PG) levels among the four patient groups. The mean concentration of fasting plasma immunoreactive insulin (IRI) was significantly higher in group D than in groups A and B (39.2 µU/mL vs 16.2 µU/mL and 24.1 µU/mL, P < 0.05, respectively). The mean homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-R) was significantly higher in group D than in all the other three groups (17.6 vs 7.8, 10.8 and 12.7, P < 0.05, respectively). The indicators HOMA-R and fasting IRI were significantly higher in each diabetes group, even in non-obese group A, than in normal children (P < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusions: Japanese children with T2DM had insulin resistance at diagnosis regardless of percent overweight, and the degree of insulin resistance gradually increased with rise in percent overweight.