The earlier type 2 diabetes begins, the greater the risk of kidney disease

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Young American Indians affected by type 2 diabetes run a big risk of premature end stage kidney disease.
There has been a big increase in childhood obesity in many countries around the world which has led to more cases of type 2 diabetes among younger people. As is well known, end stage kidney disease is one of the major complications of type 2 diabetes. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health now report upon how age of onset of type 2 diabetes affects the risk of end stage kidney disease.

They looked at a group of nearly 2,000 young American Indians with diabetes, of whom 96 had developed type 2 diabetes before age 20. Their risk of end stage kidney disease was higher than for those who developed type 2 diabetes later in life. It looks as if the longer the individual has type 2 diabetes, the greater their risk of end stage kidney disease. The risk of premature death among those with early onset type 2 diabetes was accordingly higher than among non-diabetics and those with later onset type 2 diabetes. These findings underline the importance of prevention of type 2 diabetes among young people - or, failing that, delaying the progression of the disease so as to protect the kidneys.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 26th July 2006 Volume 296 pages 421-426

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