Childhood Cases of Type Two Diabetes on the Rise

Type two diabetes, often called adult-onset diabetes, is putting increasing numbers of children at risk. Until recent years, the disease seldom occurred in children. In 1993, the Texas Children's Hospital Diabetes Care Center treated approximately 900 patients with diabetes, 18 of which were type two. This year the center will see some 1,000 patients, but the type two census has increased to 84, almost five times that of six years ago.

Unhealthy diets and lack of exercise are the main contributing factors to the increase, according to Barbara Schreiner, associate director of the center.

"Obesity is driving type two diabetes in children, just like in adults," she says. "Kids are sedentary and eat too many fast foods. Also, many schools don't have physical education programs, or they have cut activity time."

People with type two diabetes are usually unable to produce enough insulin, or they can produce it but the body cannot use it properly. Symptoms of type two diabetes include: increased thirst; increased urination; skin infections that don't heal; and darkened pigmentation of skin folds.

Most of the children the center sees are between 10 and 16 years old, although some are as young as 8. In both children and adults, type two diabetes is more common in ethnic groups, including African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans.

If the disease is detected in its early stages, it often can be managed with diet and exercise, Schreiner says. If this approach does not work, medication may be necessary.

Early diagnosis is especially important because of complications - heart attacks, strokes, blindness and amputations - caused by long-term damage to blood vessels.

- From Texas Children's Hospital

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Courtesy of Texas Medical Center News

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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