Impairment of carbohydrate metabolism in children and adolescents with obesity

Obesity is one of the socially significant diseases of our time and is a generally recognized risk factor for the development of carbohydrate metabolism disorders, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), the prevalence of which in the pediatric population is rapidly increasing.Aim of the study. To demonstrate the most frequent types of carbohydrate metabolism disorders in children and adolescents with obesity.Materials and methods. 123 obese patients under 18 years old were examined and the structure of obesity complications was analyzed.Results. Carbohydrate metabolism disorders were identified in 24 patients (19%): impaired fasting glycemia (IFG) (8 girls, 6 boys (11%)), type 2 DM (6 girls, 3 boys (7%)), and type 1 DM (1 boy (1%)). Descriptions of 4 clinical cases are given: 1) patient, 17 years old, with constitutional-exogenous obesity of 3rd degree, arterial hypertension (AH), dyslipidemia and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and a history of transient IFG; 2) patient, 16 years old, with morbid obesity, NAFLD, AH, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), type 2 DM, compensated on metformin therapy; 3) patient, 17 years old, with constitutional-exogenous obesity of the 3rd degree, AH, dyslipidemia, NAFLD, type 2 DM (on insulin pump therapy), complicated by diabetic nephropathy and diabetic polyneuropathy; 4) patient, 12 years old, with type 1 DM, manifested against the background of obesity.Conclusion. When screening for obesity complications in children and adolescents, carbohydrate metabolism disorders may be detected in one in five patients. Prediabetes in childhood can be transient. When a child with obesity is identified, differential diagnosis of type 1 and type 2 DM should be made. It is necessary to teach patients with type 2 DM the skills of self-monitoring on a par with patients with type 1 DM and motivate them to control glycemia regularly at home.