The incidence of youth-onset type 2 diabetes has increased with the rise in the number of children with obesity. A recent study published in the ‘New England Journal of Medicine’ revealed that for people who had onset of type 2 diabetes in youth, the risk of complications including microvascular complications increased steadily over time and affects badly by the time of young adulthood.

The initial phase of the multicenter trial was conducted among participants to evaluate the effects of one of three treatments (metformin, metformin plus rosiglitazone, or metformin plus an intensive lifestyle intervention) on the time to loss of glycemic control in participants who had onset of type 2 diabetes in youth. After completion of the trial, participants were transitioned to metformin with or without insulin and were enrolled in an observational follow-up study (performed from 2011 to 2020), which was conducted in two phases. Diabetic kidney disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and nerve disease were assessed annually. Assessments for the retinal disease were performed twice. Complications related to diabetes identified outside the study were confirmed and adjudicated.

The study results revealed that the cumulative incidence of hypertension was 67.5%, the incidence of dyslipidemia was 51.6%, the incidence of diabetic kidney disease was 54.8%, and the incidence of nerve disease was 32.4% and the prevalence of retinal disease, including more advanced stages, was 51.0% At least one complication occurred in 60.1% of the participants, and at least two complications occurred in 28.4%.

The trial highlights the significance of taking intense efforts to prevent the risk of complications in people who had onset of type 2 diabetes in youth.