New research indicates that a significant number of Jamaican adolescents and young adults are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a disease once seen almost exclusively in middle aged and elderly adults. These findings will be presented at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Sixteenth Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress which will be held April 11-15 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle.

“Type 2 diabetes at this age can be considered an indicator of obesity in a society. This research helps confirm that the ‘obesity epidemic’ is not just an American problem,” Marshall Tulloch-Reid, MBBS, DSc, FACE, the study’s author said. “It is becoming a significant public health challenge in the developing world.”

In America, adolescents diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are generally between ten and 19 years old, obese, have a family history of type 2 diabetes, and are insulin resistant. Because there is no golden rule to differentiate the types of childhood diabetes, Dr. Tulloch-Reid’s research is significant as he presents criteria that can be used to identify patients who may have type 2 diabetes. It is the first profile of youth onset type 2 diabetes from the English Speaking Caribbean.

As more adolescents become obese at an earlier age, they are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. According to Tulloch-Reid, “Surveys in Jamaica show that nearly 19 percent of adolescents are considered obese. One in five diabetic youth in this study was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.”

This original research is being presented by Dr. Tulloch-Reid, along with colleagues from The University of the West Indies and the Kingston Public Hospital.

This study will be featured as part of a poster session held during the Sixteenth Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress. Members of the press are invited to attend on Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. The preview session will be located at the Convention Center Exhibit Hall 4E in Seattle. Dr. Tulloch-Reid will be available in the media room to discuss his findings on Friday, April 13, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Source: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)