medwireNews: Rates of both type 2 and type 1 diabetes continue to rise in US children, show data from the SEARCH registry.
Across six areas of the USA, the estimated prevalence of type 2 diabetes per 1000 children aged 10 to 19 years rose from 0.34 in 2001 to 0.67 in 2017, report Jean Lawrence (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland) and co-workers in JAMA.
They say this fits with a previous SEARCH analysis showing rising incidence. The researchers note that rising rates of obesity are likely to be a major driver of this increase, although they add that increased awareness leading to more diagnoses could also play a part.
The 2017 type 2 diabetes rates were particularly high in Black, American Indian, and Hispanic children, at 1.80, 1.63, and 1.03 per 1000, respectively. And the annual increase in prevalence across the study period was statistically significant only in Black and Hispanic children.
The prevalence of type 1 diabetes per 1000 children also rose across the study period, from 1.48 to 2.15, but the annual increase was significant only in White children.
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