Meet 3-year-old girl who has type 2 diabetes

A 3-year-old girl has been diagnosed with diabetes making her the youngest case ever of the disease.

The unidentified patient, who lives in Texas, America weighed five-and-a-half stone (35kg) and was in the heaviest 5 per cent of her age group.

Dr Michael Yafi, of the Department of Paediatric Endocrinology at the University of Texas, who saw the child in his clinic, said the case highlighted the extent of global epidemic of diabetes.

He said that both the child's parents were also obese and that the family had 'poor nutritional habits' and 'uncontrolled' intake of calories and fats.

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Dr Yafi said he had successfully treated the girl over the past six months with the drug Metformin to control her blood sugar levels, a low calorie diet and regular weight loss.

She has since lost enough weight to enable her blood sugar levels to return to normal so her diabetes has been reversed, or temporarily cured, although it may return.

Dr Yafi, who is presenting details of the patient at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Stockholm, Sweden, said the illness was becoming increasingly common in very young children.

'The incidence of type 2 diabetes has increased dramatically worldwide in children due to the epidemic of child obesity.

'Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of type 2 diabetes even in very young obese children.

'Reversal of type 2 diabetes in children is possible by early screening of obese children, early diagnosis, appropriate therapy and lifestyle modification.'

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There has been an explosion in cases of type 2 diabetes, which is usually caused by being overweight, and doctors say this form is becoming increasingly common in teenagers and children.

The youngest known case before was a 7-year-old from Britain, although around 1,300 people under 18 have been diagnosed with the illness.