Research Suggests Youth-onset Type 2 Diabetes More Severe than Adult-onset Disease

Pediatric endocrinologist Lorraine E. Levitt Katz, MD, and other leaders of The TODAY (Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth) study of youth-onset type 2 diabetes presented longitudinal outcomes of the study at the American Diabetes Association’s 79th Scientific Sessions on June 8, 2019.

TODAY2 found that young people who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in their early teens had an "alarming" rate of diabetes-associated complications by the time they were in their mid-20s, according to new research. These complications affect the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves and pregnancy.

Dr. Katz, the principal investigator (PI) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) research site in the multicenter national study, reported on the high rates of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and echocardiographic abnormalities in this cohort at the meeting. The TODAY clinic trial ran from 2004 to 2011. TODAY2 part 1 added continuing treatment and follow-up through 2014. TODAY2 Phase 2, an observation-only follow-up, continues through January 2020.

“These outcomes of the longest running study on youth with T2D indicate that youth-onset type 2 diabetes is more aggressive than adult-onset T2D,” said Dr. Katz, who has served as the CHOP PI of TODAY since 2006 and is CHOP PI of TODAY2 since 2011. “We now know the importance of underscoring the fact that younger patients require even more intensive management than many adults with type 2 diabetes. These implications have the potential to change the course of treatment and improve care overall.”

Read more about the study »