Body mass index and diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus in a pediatric population

Over the last few decades, obesity among children and adolescents has grown. In order to provide more effective treatment to adolescents and children with type 2 diabetes, there is a need to determine the extent to which obesity is related to a diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of type 1 and type 2 diabetes as it relates to age, race, gender, and body mass index at initial presentation, and to describe any changes in body mass index between initial presentation records of children and youth with type 1 and type 2 diabetes were analyzed. Type 2 subjects typically had a larger BMI, were older, and more likely to be of a cultural minority. Results indicated that a BMI greater than the 95th percentile can be a good indicator of type 2 diabetes.