Low serum adiponectin levels in Korean children with a family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background/aims: The current worldwide increases of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in children coincide with increases in the prevalence of obesity. We investigated the insulin resistance and adiponectin levels of children and adolescents with a family history of T2DM (FHD).

Methods: Our sample included 131 children and adolescents aged 8-15 years. Fasting plasma glucose, lipids, fasting insulin, adiponectin levels and HOMA-IR were analyzed according to FHD and obesity. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed in all subjects except non-obese subjects without FHD.

Results: Adiponectin levels of subjects with FHD were significantly lower than those of subjects without FHD in both the obese and nonobese groups. HOMA-IR was significantly higher in obese subjects with FHD than in those without FHD. Adiponectin levels were found to be independently associated with FHD and Matsuda index. The frequency of impaired glucose tolerance in obese subjects with FHD was more than four times higher compared to obese subjects without FHD.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that FHD could be a risk factor of T2DM in obese Korean children, especially with low serum levels of adiponectin.