Puberty, Diabetes, and the Kidneys, When Eustress Becomes Distress (PANTHER Study)

Early diabetic kidney disease (DKD) occurs in 50-70% of youth with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and confers high lifetime risk of dialysis and premature death. Youth-onset T2D typically manifests during or shortly after puberty in adolescents with obesity. Epidemiological data implicate puberty as an accelerator of kidney disease in youth with obesity and diabetes and the investigators posit that the link between puberty and T2D-onset may explain the high burden of DKD in youth-onset T2D. A better understanding of the impact of puberty on kidney health is needed to promote preservation of native kidney function, especially in youth with T2D.