Diabetes
Overview
Diabetes is at least 4 times as common in Down syndrome as in the general population and affects around 1 in 60 children with Down syndrome.
Type 1 diabetes tends to develop at a younger age (22% under 2 years old) and may reflect a particularly aggressive autoimmune phenotype.
There is a high incidence of other autoimmune disorders in people with diabetes and Down syndrome, especially thyroid disease (in 30%) and coeliac disease (in 20%)
Presentation, management aims, treatment options and outcomes are no different to those for other people with diabetes. However, the evidence is that insulin regimes tend to be simpler and metabolic control is usually better.
Type 2 diabetes, which is associated with insulin resistance, overweight and obesity, is the most common type of diabetes in adults with Down syndrome. Evidence suggests people with Down syndrome have a greater risk of insulin resistance than the general population and it often presents at an earlier age (average age of onset 38 years, compared to 53 years in those without Down syndrome).
Children aged 5-14 years with Down Syndrome have a 10 times greater chance of having type 2 diabetes than children without the condition. Children with Down Syndrome may benefit from being closely monitored for excess weight, obesity and early signs of diabetes.
Last updated June 2024 Dr Liz Herrieven
Presentations at DSMIG Meetings
Materials from meetings are available for members only who need to log in to access them. For details on how to become a member click here.
Additional Resources
Hom B, Boyd NK, Vogel BN, Nishimori N, Khoshnood MM, Jafarpour S, Nagesh D, Santoro JD. Down Syndrome and Autoimmune Disease. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2024 Jun;66(3):261-273. doi: 10.1007/s12016-024-08996-2. Epub 2024 Jun 24. PMID: 38913142; PMCID: PMC11422465.
Aslam AA, Baksh RA, Pape SE, Strydom A, Gulliford MC, Chan LF; GO-DS21 Consortium. Diabetes and Obesity in Down Syndrome Across the Lifespan: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using U.K. Electronic Health Records Diabetes Care. 2022 Sep 30;45(12):2892–2899
Mortimer GL, Gillespie KM.Early Onset of Autoimmune Diabetes in Children with Down Syndrome-Two Separate Aetiologies or an Immune System Pre-Programmed for Autoimmunity? Curr Diab Rep. 2020 Aug 25;20(9):47. doi: 10.1007/s11892-020-01318-8. PMID: 32839884; PMCID: PMC7445156
Diabetes
Published October 2013
Down’s Syndrome Association information
Book Chapter – Endocrine Disorders – Diabetes
Hilary Hoey and Pat Charlton
in Down Syndrome – Current Perspectives
Edited by Richard Newton , Shiela Puri and Liz Marder Mackeith Press 2015
