Children's Health & Fitness ? Childhood Diabetes On The Rise

June 11th, 2012 by Len Saunders

From the International Science Times?..

Diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in children, according to new research presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting on Saturday. The rate of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children has jumped more than 20 percent since 2001, researchers said.

?Both types of diabetes are increasing,? Dr. Dana Dabelea, study coauthor and associate dean for faculty affairs at the University of Colorado School of Public Health, told HealthDay. For type 2, we have some clues as to why it?s increasing, but for type 1, we still need to better understand the triggers of this disease.?

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system mistakenly activates cells that produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 is not linked to lifestyle factors, such as obesity.

Type 2 diabetes results in high blood sugar levels since the body cannot produce enough insulin. Doctors typically prescribe metformin, a medication used to lower blood sugar, to Type 2 diabetes patients. If the pill fails, doctors will try other drugs or insulin injections to regulate the levels.

Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to blindness, nerve damage, kidney failure, limb amputation and even heart attacks or stroke, according to the American Diabetes Association. One in five of the teens with diabetes suffer serious complications from the disease, such as high blood sugar, requiring hospitalization.

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