Prevalence of hyperinsulinism, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome among Saudi overweight and obese pediatric patients

Aim. Obesity and overweight among children and adolescents is increasing at an alarming rate, which lead to the increase in the incidence of their related co-morbidities. Our objectives are to establish the following: 1) the prevalence of hyperinsulinism among overweight and obese pediatric patients. 2) The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among those with hyperinsulinism. 3) The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components among T2DM pediatric patients. Methods. A retrospective cross-sectional study conducted on overweight and obese pediatric patients attending the pediatrics diabetes clinic at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 2006 to 2010. Serum insulin level was measured for 387 patients (ages from 2 to 18 years). Those with hyperinsulinism underwent further investigations to assess the prevalence of T2DM and the prevalence of MS among T2DM patients. Results. The overall prevalence of hyperinsulihism and T2DM were 44.7%, and 9.04%, respectively. Among children and adolescents with T2DM, 62.86% had a body mass index BMI >= 85th percentile, 37.14% had a BMI >= 95th percentile, 14.29% had MS, 34.29% were hypertensive and 28.57% had dyslipidemia. Conclusion. Obesity and its co-morbidities were prevalent among Saudi pediatric patients. We recommend preventing excessive weight gain through the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, family educational seminars and the reinforcement of indoor exercises.