High blood pressure, other complications seen in adolescence
THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Type 2 diabetes is more aggressive in children than adults, with signs of serious complications seen just a few years after diagnosis, new research finds.
"Based on the latest results, it seems like type 2 is progressing more rapidly in children," said Dr. Jane Chiang, senior vice president of medical affairs and community information for the American Diabetes Association. "Complications are appearing faster, and it appears to be at a more significant rate than we see in adults."
The results are alarming, Chiang and other experts said. "If these children continue to progress this rapidly, we could see many of the consequences of type 2 diabetes at a much younger age, like kidney disease and heart disease," she said.
The findings are from an ongoing study of treatment options for type 2 diabetes in children and teens. Researchers are using data from the same study group to assess factors related to the disease in youth, such as complications.
People with type 2 diabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels because their body doesn't make or properly use insulin, a hormone needed to convert food into energy. Being overweight is the most significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. The number of U.S. children with type 2 disease -- usually seen in adults over 40 -- is sizable and growing, experts say.
The study included nearly 700 children with type 2 diabetes who were between 10 and 17 years old at the outset and had had the disease for eight months on average. Type 2 diabetes is rarely seen in children younger than 10, Chiang said. All the participants had a body-mass index (an estimate of body fat based on a ratio of weight to height) at or above the 85th percentile, which is considered overweight.
The children received diabetes education and were randomized to receive one of three treatments: the drug metformin, metformin plus intensive lifestyle changes or metformin plus rosiglitazone (brand name Avandia).
At the start of the study, about 12 percent of participants had high blood pressure (hypertension). Four years later, about 34 percent had high blood pressure, and the risk was highest for males and those who were heavier, according to the report, which was published online May 23 in a special issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
Initial signs of kidney disease, called microalbuminuria, almost tripled in four years -- from 6.3 percent of the children to almost 17 percent, the study found.
Other highlights:
"The rapid progression of hypertension and kidney disease was surprising," said Dr. Jane Lynch, the lead author of the hypertension and kidney disease part of the study.
"We really felt like we were on top of these kids as far as treatments, and they still progressed," said Lynch, a professor of pediatrics in the division of endocrinology and diabetes at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Graham
9 comments:
Sobering read but recommended
Jeff
A tragic situation. With the dietary advice these kids are likely to get they won’t get to 30 years of age and a life of pain and misery. Type two diabetes used to be an old mans disease, how long before infants are joining the club ?
Yes, this is tragic, we owe our young children much better than this
Sue
Who is Jeff? Who is Sue??
Who are you ?
I am me!
Are you sure ? But chuffed you read our blog.
Regards Eddie
I do read it and I am sure! Regards to the lchf brigade.
This is just terribly sad and unfortunately, it is not the kids fault. New Zealand is in the grips of this worse than most other countries due to our high Pacific Island population who are simply not genetically adapted to a western diet.
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