Type 1 Diabetes In Children

A recent research showed that the occurrence of the type 1 diabetes among children who are in the age between 5-12 will double from now, if this rate persists for another 10 years. Although this study was conducted in the European countries, similar situation is also taking place in the U.S.

Also know as the Juvenile Diabetes; type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 diabetes. The disease often occurs during childhood; it seems that the environmental factor also increases the exposure of this disease. However researchers are still not clear what are the environmental factors the may causes the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Most of the children affected by this disease fall in the early teen age. However Christopher C. Patterson, PhD and Epidemiologist in Ireland's Queen's University said that recent trend is shifting toward children in younger age. He added that the more and more children are likely to suffer from severe type 1 diabetes problems in their earlier ages if we are not able to recognize the root cause and provide proper treatment to young patients who are affected by the disease.

In the recent edition of TheLancet (a leading medical journal in Oncology, Neurology and Infectious Diseases), Patterson and his team member said that the type 1 diabetes rate is increasing dramatically among children’s and teens. They concluded that this rate is a lot faster than they have previously predicted.

Patterson and his team conducted a study based on data of 29,000 victims from European countries. Most of the victims were children with type1 diabetes. The data was gathered from hospital records from 1989 to 2003.

They concluded that:

1. There was a 3.9% increase in type 1 diabetes each year.

2. The increase was segregated among various age groups. 5.4% increase annually for the age group of children under 5 years old - the highest when compared to the other age groups. 4.3% increase per year for children from 5 to 9 years old and 2.9% increase for children age group between 10 to 14 years old.

3. If present scenario continues, then type1 diabetes cases are projected to raise 70% by 2020 and the rate of increase among children who are under the age of 5 will be doubled.

Patterson says that there must be a strong agent that is present in the environment which drives the rapid increase of this disease. Scientists are still conducting research to find the possible agents in the environment such as diet in early life and infection from the micro organism and even the C-section delivery. Birth given by older mom and C – Section birth seems to increase the risk of the disease, but there is no concrete evidence that it causes type1 diabetes.