The study provides a comprehensive analysis of diabetes trends among adolescents aged 10–24 years. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study, it estimates the prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and risk factors for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) across 204 countries and territories. The findings reveal a significant increase in the global burden of adolescent diabetes, with 3.4 million living with T1DM and 14.6 million with T2DM in 2021. By 2030, these numbers are projected to rise to 3.7 million and 20.9 million, respectively.

It highlights key disparities in diabetes prevalence by sex, region, and sociodemographic index (SDI). T1DM was more prevalent in females, while T2DM was more common in males. High-income regions, such as North America and Western Europe, reported the highest T1DM prevalence, whereas Oceania had the highest T2DM rates. A positive correlation was found between SDI and T1DM prevalence, while T2DM prevalence was negatively correlated with SDI, indicating higher rates in lower-income regions. The burden of T2DM was strongly linked to high BMI, which accounted for 32.84% of DALYs and increased by 40.78% from 1990 to 2021.

The study also identified temperature extremes (low and high) as risk factors for both T1DM and T2DM, particularly in low-SDI regions. While the age-standardized DALY rate for T1DM decreased by 6.69% over the study period, it increased by 76.78% for T2DM, reflecting the growing impact of obesity and lifestyle factors. The findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions, including obesity prevention, improved healthcare access, and sex-specific strategies, to address the rising burden of adolescent diabetes globally. The study underscores the importance of international collaboration and policy-making to mitigate the long-term public health and economic impacts of diabetes in this vulnerable population.

Source: bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-025-03890-w