Type 2 Diabetes: Screening for Children

Overview

Starting at age 10 or at the start of puberty, children who have a body mass index, Opens dialog (BMI) in the 85th percentile or higher for their age—or whose weight is more than 120% of ideal—and who have one of the following risk factors need to be tested for type 2 diabetes, Opens dialog every 3 years. Risks include:^{footnote 1}

• Having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes.
• Having a birth parent who developed gestational diabetes while pregnant with the child.
• Hispanic, African American, Native American, Asian American, or Pacific Island ancestry.
• Signs of not being able to use insulin properly (insulin resistance) or conditions linked with it. These include:
  • A skin problem called acanthosis nigricans, Opens dialog.
  • High blood pressure, Opens dialog.
  • High cholesterol, Opens dialog.
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome, Opens dialog. (This is a hormone problem that interferes with ovulation.)
  • Being born small in weight, length, or both.