Incidences of type 1 diabetes are continuing to rise in children under the age of five, an increase that is baffling medical experts. Type 1 diabetes typically occurs in children and requires insulin injections to regulate the blood glucose levels. When left untreated, diabetes can be fatal.
A US study has demonstrated that the number of cases of diabetes in the under 5s that require insulin injections have risen sharply in two decades. The research, carried out in Philadelphia by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and published in the journal Diabetes Care, updated a registry of children with type 1 diabetes that was first started in 1985.
The figures revealed that cases of insulin-requiring type 1 diabetes in the under 5s rose by 70% with the number of cases in children aged up to 14 had also risen by 29%.
The study concluded that it could find no explanation for the big increase in cases, which matches similar rises elsewhere in the US and in Europe.
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions with an estimated 347 million people worldwide suffering from the disease in which the body either does not produce enough insulin or cannot properly process and use the insulin it does produce.
There are two common forms of diabetes – type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes was formerly referred to as juvenile diabetes because it occurs first in childhood and requires insulin injections to control glucose levels. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease and typically strikes in adults who are still producing insulin but whose bodies cannot use it effectively. Typ2 diabetes can be controlled through medication, diet and exercise.
While the cause of the sharp increase in type 1 diabetes in the under 5s is not yet known, there have been some suggestions as to what might be causing the immune system to go awry, including a lack of vitamin D, overly hygienic environments and a failure to breastfeed.
Symptoms to look for in a small child are extreme thirst, bed-wetting and excessively wet nappies in babies and toddlers.
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