Objectives: To estimate the frequency of neuropsychiatric disease (NPD) in an urban pediatric type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) population, to compare demographic characteristics of affected patients with those unaffected with NPD, and to determine the frequency of psychotropic medication treatment.
Study design: Retrospective chart review of patients with T2DM at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Results: Of 237 patients with T2DM, 46 (19.4%) were found to have NPD at the presentation of diabetes. Diagnoses by report included depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), neurodevelopmental disorders, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Those affected were 63% females and 37% males, with a mean age of 14.6 yr and body mass index (BMI) of 34.3 kg/m(2) at diagnosis of T2DM. Patients were 79% African American, 13% Caucasian, 4.3% Hispanic, and 4.3% Asian. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics or BMI between those affected and unaffected with NPD. Twenty-nine patients (63%) were on psychotropic medication and were prescribed 58 medications, most commonly mood stabilizers (n = 20) and atypical antipsychotics (n = 17).
Conclusions: Our data reveal a high frequency of NPD among pediatric patients with T2DM at presentation to a tertiary care, urban medical center. Many affected patients are receiving psychotropic medication. These data have implications for screening regimens for pediatric populations at high risk for T2DM and for therapeutic interventions, including lifestyle measures.