Adults who had metabolic syndrome when they were children were at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes, especially if the disease was more severe, according to Dr. Mark D. DeBoer of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and Matthew J. Gurka, Ph.D., of West Virginia University, Morgantown, and their associates.
A total of 354 people completed the study, which started during 1973-1976 and had two follow-ups, one during 1998-2003 and the second from 2010 to 2014. Average age at baseline was 12.9 years, and average age at study completion was 49.6 years.
Among the individuals who had metabolic syndrome (MetS) at baseline, the odds ratio for developing diabetes at the first follow-up was 4.4, and the OR for diabetes at the second follow-up was 7.8. For each unit increase in MetS severity at baseline, the OR for diabetes development was 2.7 at first follow-up and 2.8 at second follow-up.
“These data provide evidence for a role for MetS severity as a marker of disease risk and suggest potential clinical utility in following MetS severity over time,” the investigators noted. They had no disclosures to report.
Find the full study in Diabetologia (doi: 10.1007/s00125-015-3759-5).