AIM: To describe the clinical, biochemical and immunological characteristics of young-onset diabetes in Asia.
METHODS: Clinical, biochemical and immunological variables were assessed in 919 newly diagnosed (duration less than 12 months) young onset Asian diabetic patients aged between 12 and 40 years. The subjects constituted 57% Chinese, 29% Indians and 14% Malays, recruited from diabetes centres in China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore.
RESULTS: The mean age (+/- sd) was 31.6 +/- 7.2 years, with the majority (66%) in the 31-40 years age group. Mean body mass index (BMI) (+/- sd) was 25.3 +/- 5.0 kg/m2 with 47% exceeding the suggested Asian cut-off point for obesity (BMI > or = 25). Ethnic difference in clinical characteristics included BMI, blood pressure, mode of treatment and degree of insulin resistance. Most patients had a clinical presentation of Type 2 diabetes. About 10% had a classical combination of ketotic presentation, presence of autoimmune-markers and documented insulin deficiency indicative of Type 1 diabetes. Forty-eight percent were receiving oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHAs) while 31% were on diet only, 18% were receiving insulin and 2% were on a combination of insulin and OHA.
CONCLUSION: Young onset diabetes patients in Asia represent a heterogeneous group in terms of their clinical and biochemical characteristics and classical Type 1 diabetes is relatively uncommon. The 5-year follow up study will determine the progress of these patients and help to clarify the natural history.
In this paper, the islet autoimmunity status and relation to clinical characteristics, beta cell function and cardio-metabolic risk factors in young-onset Asian diabetic patients are evaluated at baseline. The study population consisted of 912 patients (from China, India, Malaysia and Singapore) with age 12-40 years and diabetes duration <12 months. Autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA) and tyrosine phosphatase (IA-2A), beta cell function and cardio-metabolic risk parameters were assessed. Among our young patient cohort, 105 (11.5%) patients were GADA and/or IA-2A positives (Ab +ve). Ab +ve patients were younger, leaner, had more severe hyperglycaemia and lower beta cell function. The frequency of metabolic syndrome was significantly lower in Ab +ve patients (27%) compared to Ab -ve patients (54%). However, a substantial proportion of patients in both groups of patients had atherogenic dyslipidaemia, hypertension and albuminuria (micro or macro). In our study cohort, only one in 10 Asian youth with new-onset diabetes had evidence of islet autoimmunity. At least 60% of Ab +ve and 50% of Ab -ve patients demonstrated classical features of type 1 and type 2 diabetes respectively. Regardless of autoimmunity status, the cardio-metabolic risk factors, in particular atherogenic dyslipidaemia, hypertension and albuminuria were common in our patients with young-onset diabetes.