Home
You can view the current or previous issues of Diabetes Health online, in their entirety, anytime you want.
Click Here To View
See if you qualify for our free healthcare professional magazines. Click here to start your application for Pre-Diabetes Health, Diabetes Health Pharmacist and Diabetes Health Professional.
Latest Kids & Teens Articles
Popular Kids & Teens Articles
Highly Recommended Kids & Teens Articles
Email to a Friend
Send a link to this page to your friends and colleagues.
An Epidemic of Type 2 Diabetes in Kids
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics are calling the alarming rise of type 2 diabetes among children an epidemic.
Type 2 diabetes usually develops in middle or old age, but now pediatricians are seeing type 2 in children as young as 4. Experts warn that more children will develop type 2 as the U.S. population becomes increasingly overweight. The trend has prompted both the ADA and the American Academy of Pediatrics to publish guidelines on the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in children in the March issues of both Diabetes Care and Pediatrics.
According to Diabetes Dateline, children who are most susceptible have some or all of the following characteristics:
- Of African-American, Alaskan, Native American, Asian and Pacific Islander, or Hispanic descent
- Between ages 6 and 9 (according to the Diabetes Dateline); 10 or older (according to the ADA)
- Female
- Centrally distributed body fat ("apple-shaped" body). In an Arkansas study, 85 percent of 8- to 12-year-old type 2 African-American children had a body mass index (BMI)* of 25 or higher
- No recent weight loss
- No acute symptoms of hyperglycemia
- A family history of type 2 diabetes
- Have acanthosis nigricans (AN)-patches of brownish-black skin usually found on the back of the neck, in the armpits or on the thighs. This is usually indicative of high levels of insulin, making it type 2 diabetes rather than type 1. AN is especially common among Native Americans and less common in whites.
* The BMI is equal to a person's body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
Categories: Adolescent Boys, Adolescent Girls, Diabetes, Insulin, Kids & Teens, Type 2 Issues
You May Also Be Interested In...
-
Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
-
Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
Comments
Add your comments about this article below. You can add comments as a registered user or anonymously. If you choose to post anonymously your comments will be sent to our moderator for approval before they appear on this page. If you choose to post as a registered user your comments will appear instantly.
When voicing your views via the comment feature, please respect the Diabetes Health community by refraining from comments that could be considered offensive to other people. Diabetes Health reserves the right to remove comments when necessary to maintain the cordial voice of the diabetes community.
For your privacy and protection, we ask that you do not include personal details such as address or telephone number in any comments posted.
Don't have your Diabetes Health Username? Register now and add your comments to all our content.
Register...
Register your Diabetes Health Username here.
Have Your Say...