Type 2 Diabetes in Children

Type 2 Diabetes in Children

Type 2 Diabetes in Children

Type 2 diabetes, which use to be considered an adult-onset disease, is now being diagnosed in children. With education and awareness of type 2 diabetes, we can protect our children from this life changing disease.

If you asked a child what type 2 diabetes was, would they know the answer? Excess weight, inactivity, and genetic factors are thought to be causes of type 2 diabetes. This disease happens when the body develops insulin resistance, or when the pancreas no longer produces enough insulin. The hormone, insulin, comes from the pancreas, and lowers the amount of sugar in the child’s bloodstream (Mayo Clinic, 2013). Sugar, which comes from the food the child eats and the liver, is the main source of energy for the cells that make up tissues. When sugar enters the bloodstream, insulin helps the sugar get into these cells. If type 2 diabetes is present, the cells do not respond to insulin and the buildup of sugar stays in the bloodstream (Mayo Clinic, 2013).

According to the Centers for Disease Control, during 2002-2005, 3,600 youth were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes annually (2013). Rates were greater among youth aged 10-19 years than in younger children, with higher rates in minority populations (CDC, 2013).

There are many risk factors that increase a child’s chance of getting type 2 diabetes:

* Weight- the more fatty tissue a child has, the more resistant their cells become to insulin.

* Lack of physical activity- being active controls weight, uses blood sugar as energy, and makes a child’s cells more responsive to insulin.

* Family genetics- the risk of type 2 diabetes increases if a parent or sibling have the disease.

* Race- children of certain races are more susceptible to type 2 diabetes.

* Sex- During childhood, it is more common in girl’s than boy’s.

(Mayo Clinic, 2013)

Type 2 diabetes must be taken seriously; it affects nearly every major organ in the...