•Li and colleagues analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2006 to estimate the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and prediabetes among US adolescents aged 12–19 years.
•Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-hour glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test was used to assess the prevalence of IFG, IGT, and prediabetes; log-binomial model was used to assess the prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals.
•Of the 2,288 (1,133 boys and 1,155 girls) participants included in the study, 777 were assessed.
•The International Federation of Diabetes criteria were used to determine whether participants had any conditions characterizing the metabolic syndrome (eg, central obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL-C, and high blood pressure).
•Prevalence of IFG, IGT, and prediabetes was each positively associated with the number of cardiometabolic risk factors.
•Those with >2 risk factors had a higher prevalence rate of IFG and prediabetes (30.4% and 38.6%, respectively) vs those with 0 risk factors (9.3% and 11.2%, respectively; P<0.05) and those with 1 risk factor (13.4% and 16.4%, respectively; P<0.01).
•Participants with >2 risk factors had a higher prevalence rate of IGT when compared with those with 0 risk factors (11.9% vs 1.9%, respectively; P<0.10).
•The authors concluded that prediabetes is highly prevalent among adolescents. Moreover, there was an independent link with hyperinsulinemia and prediabetes that may account for the association of overweight and clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors seen with prediabetes.
Li C, Ford ES, Zhao G, Mokdad AH. Prevalence of pre-diabetes and its association with clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors and hyperinsulinemia among U.S. adolescents. Diabetes Care. 2009;32(2):342-347.
