Autism and ADHD appeared more often among people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at young ages than among peers without diabetes. The finding announced by EASD and reported by VIVA draws attention to people managing both conditions. Their appearance together does not establish that either condition causes the other.
The EASD announcement and VIVA’s report point to the same finding: autism and ADHD appeared more often among people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at younger ages. The difference was most marked at younger ages and narrowed later in life. That places the pattern in context instead of merely listing diagnoses within the diabetes group. The association, however, does not show that either condition produced the other.[1], [2]
Jonathan Goldney drew attention to the barriers that can face people living with both early-onset diabetes and neurodevelopmental differences. Communication in a busy clinic, access to appointments and the everyday work of managing a continuing condition may not present the same difficulty for everyone. For readers, the practical consequence is the need for care that recognizes both conditions and remains understandable and accessible. The finding is a prompt to notice patients who might otherwise be underserved.[1]
Several explanations could sit behind more frequent co-occurrence. More contact with clinicians may itself make a diagnosis more likely to be detected. Activity, sleep, medication and access to care are among possibilities discussed by the researchers, not established explanations for this result. The finding makes people with neurodevelopmental differences and youth-onset diabetes more visible when services are planned. It does not give a firm forecast for an individual patient or identify a route from one diagnosis to the other.[1]
