One in five teenage girls with type 2 diabetes have polycystic ovary syndrome — a rate far higher than that in the general adolescent population — according to a meta-analysis.

The Canadian-led authors say their findings support current guidelines to screen for the hormonal condition when youth-onset type 2 diabetes is diagnosed.

Writing in JAMA Network Open, researchers conducted a systematic review and analysed data from six cohort studies including 470 girls with diabetes to determine the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in this group of patients versus teenagers without diabetes.

The mean age at diabetes diagnosis ranged from 13-16 years.