Type 2 and other forms of diabetes in 0-30 year olds: a hospital based study in Leeds, UK.
OBJECTIVE
Following recent reports of increased numbers of adolescents being diagnosed with the adult or type 2 form of diabetes we aimed to describe the prevalence of both type 2 and other forms of diabetes in an urban population of children and young people in northern England.


METHODS
A hospital based cross sectional study was performed in patients aged < or =30 years attending diabetic clinics in Leeds during the year 2000.


RESULTS
A total of 677 subjects were identified, of whom 621 (92%) and 37 (5%) had type 1 and type 2 diabetes respectively. Four patients had confirmed maturity onset diabetes of the young, while the cause was uncertain for four. Median age of all patients was 22 years, with 396 (58%) aged 20-30; 32/37 patients with type 2 diabetes were aged 20-30. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 0.13 per 1000 overall, compared to 2.2 per 1000 for patients with type 1 diabetes. Of all type 2 diabetes patients, 24% were south Asian compared to 5% of the background population; 87% were categorised into the two least affluent tertiles of the Townsend score. This link with deprivation was not explained by the proportion of Asian patients across tertiles (approximately 25%).


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows extremely low prevalence of type 2 diabetes in 10-19 year olds, but will provide a baseline for future comparisons. Overall, type 2 diabetes is seen more commonly in south Asians, and an association with deprivation is suggested.
Feltbower
R G
RG
University of Leeds, UK.
McKinney
P A
PA
Campbell
F M
FM
Stephenson
C R
CR
Bodansky
H J
HJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health