Type 2 Diabetes: Screening for Children

Overview

Diabetes Canada recommends screening for type 2 diabetes every 2 years for some children. Children who have not reached puberty and have 3 or more risk factors should be screened. Children who have reached puberty and have 2 or more risk factors should screened. 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.
• African, Arab, Asian, Hispanic, Indigenous, or South Asian descent.
• Signs of not being able to use insulin properly (insulin resistance) or conditions linked with it. These include:
  • A skin problem called acanthosis nigricans.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol.
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome. (This is a hormone problem that interferes with ovulation.)