Prevalence of risk factors for diabetes in adult offspring of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Background: The risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and associated metabolic abnormalities is higher in adult offspring of patients with T2DM. Various genetic and environmental influences play a facilitatory role. These determinants can lead to the early onset of hyperglycemia, unrecognized end-organ changes, and cardiovascular morbidity. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the presence of undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes in the otherwise healthy adult offspring of patients with T2DM and to study early metabolic abnormalities among these individuals. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 100 healthy offspring aged 18 years and above, of parents with T2DM, enrolled from the medicine outpatient area. Anthropometric characteristics, routine investigations and diabetes defining parameters, fasting plasma insulin, and homeostatic model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were assessed. Results: The age and body mass index of participants were 32.30 ± 9.33 years and 25.08 ± 4.58 kg/m2, respectively. About 33.3% of males and 76.4% of females had abnormal waist circumference and metabolic syndrome was found in 26% of the offspring. Twenty-eight participants displayed dysglycemia, of which 10 were diagnosed with prediabetes and 18 with diabetes. C-reactive protein, total cholesterol, triglyceride values, apolipoprotein A, B, and their ratio, and HOMA-IR were significantly raised, and high-density lipoprotein was found significantly low in patients with this newly diagnosed T2DM. Conclusion: A significant number of asymptomatic offspring of patients with T2DM have incipient diabetes and prediabetes status, which is unidentified. Further, metabolic parameters are more deranged in those with newly diagnosed diabetes and prediabetes. Therefore, opportunistic screening for these offspring should be done routinely.