Not all pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have obesity, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Network Open. Constantine Samaan, MD, MSc, and colleagues examined the prevalence of obesity among 8,942 pediatric patients with T2D from 53 studies. The overall prevalence of obesity was 75.27%, while the prevalence of obesity at diabetes diagnosis was 77.24%. Male participants had higher odds of obesity than female participants (OR, 2.10). Compared with other racial groups, Asian participants had the lowest prevalence of obesity (64.5%); White participants had the highest prevalence (89.86%). “Understanding the causes of [T2D] in children without obesity is crucial to define the etiology of their diabetes and to create effective management strategies for this cohort,” Dr. Samaan and colleagues wrote. “Further research is needed to evaluate the causes of sex- and race and ethnicity-based associations of diabetes with obesity and explore additional factors that may affect the risk of developing [T2D] apart from obesity in children.”
