Traditional and Emerging Cardiometabolic Risk Profiling among Asian Youth with Type 2 Diabetes: A Case-Control Study

Abstract Background Youth-onset type 2 diabetes (YT2D) has been associated with high cardiometabolic risk and accelerated progression of diabetes complications. Data on Asian YT2D are limited. Aim We characterized traditional and emerging cardiometabolic risks profile among Asian YT2D and investigated factors that account for the observed differences. Methods We compared the cardiometabolic profile in 25 multiethnic Asian YT2D with a mean age of 18.5 ± 4.60 years and disease duration of 23 ± 6 months, with 15 matched controls. Cardiometabolic risks were compared from clinical histories, physical examination, laboratory and radiological investigations. Multiple linear regression models were sequentially adjusted for demographics and metabolic factors to examine possible mechanisms associated with differences in risk profiles between both groups. Results Despite similar BMI, YT2D had a higher waist-hip ratio, visceral adiposity, insulin resistance, hs-CRP level and resting heart rate compared to controls (p  Conclusions Despite a relatively short duration of disease, YT2D exhibited high burden of cardiometabolic risk. Glomerular hyperfiltration is associated with YT2D, independent of BMI, HbA1C and blood pressure, suggestive of a causal pathway between the two. National Medical Research Register: NMRR-12-1042-13254.