Type 2 diabetes in children

Exemplifies the growing problem of chronic diseases

Type 2 diabetes mellitus in children is an emotionally charged issue and an emerging public health problem. 1 2 Until recently most children with diabetes mellitus had type 1, one of the most common3 and increasingly prevalent4 chronic diseases in children. Increasingly, however, type 2 diabetes is being reported in children from the United States, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Libya, and Bangladesh.5

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in children ranges from 4.1 per 1000 12-19 year olds in the US to 50.9 per 1000 15-19 year old Pima Indians of Arizona. 1 2 Between 8% and 45% of recently diagnosed cases of diabetes among children and adolescents in the United States is type 2, and the magnitude of this disease may be underestimated. 1 2 The prevalence of the disease is on the rise in North America, and its incidence almost doubled in Japan between 1976-80 and 1991-5—from 7.3 to 13.9 per 100 000 junior high school children.5 These trends coincide with the rising prevalence of overweight and physical …