Diabetes increasingly affecting the young

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics reports that one in every 523 young people has been diagnosed with diabetes, affecting 1.82 children per thousand.

While type 1 diabetes (often referred to as juvenile diabetes) is commonly associated with children, recent years have seen an increase in the number of type 2 cases found in the young. Type 2 diabetes is usually associated with older adults, usually a result of genetics and obesity.

“All my colleagues are worried about 25- and 30-year-olds who are at risk for having heart attacks,” says pediatric endocrinologist Larry Deeb of the American Diabetes Association. “The most important thing is that we recognize the enormity of what’s happening and document the extent of it, so we can identify it and intervene.”

The study was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

(via UTA Today)