NIH Launches Large Study to Tackle Type 2 Diabetes in Youth
Photo: ANDREY POPOV/SHUTTERSTOCK
NIH has launched a nationwide consortium to address the dramatic rise in youth diagnosed with type 2 diabetes over the past two decades, a trend that is expected to continue. The effort aims to advance understanding of the biologic, social and environmental drivers of youth-onset type 2 diabetes to help determine which children are at highest risk and how to better prevent, screen for and manage the disease in young people.
The observational study builds on previous research indicating that youth-onset type 2 diabetes is more challenging to treat and progresses more aggressively compared to the adult form. In youth with type 2 diabetes, good blood glucose control is harder to achieve, and the ability of the pancreas to secrete insulin declines much more rapidly. Many young people with this disease also don’t respond well to metformin, the most common first-line treatment for diabetes in adults. In addition, youth-onset type 2 diabetes is associated with earlier development of diabetes-related complications.
The study will aim to identify unique drivers of the disease to help clinicians better understand risk and guide more effective, targeted prevention and intervention strategies. Study sites across the country will recruit 3,600 participants, ages 9 to 14, who are considered at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, including people from diverse racial and ethnic, socioeconomically disadvantaged and underserved rural populations.
The research team is also seeking input from youth, young adults and parents with lived experience of type 2 diabetes on both study design and conduct.
In addition to looking at biological factors, the study team will gather comprehensive data from participants and their families to understand what social and environmental factors may be adversely contributing to health disparities and poor outcomes among these youth.