Before 2002, type 2 diabetes was unknown in children in the UK. Now, although still rare, there are increasing numbers of cases of the disease – and a new study indicates that those who have been diagnosed would benefit from significantly more help. A study published in Archives of Disease in Childhood followed 73 adolescents with type 2 diabetes – despite being treated for the disease, the children gained an average of 3kg over a year, ‘indicating a failure to address lifestyle and behaviour modification adequately’. Some of the children have already begun to experience complications from the disease.
As most child diabetics have type 1 diabetes, the focus of care at that age tends to be less on physical activity and weight loss, and more on healthy eating and insulin management. The report calls on the NHS to develop strategies for specifically for young type 2 diabetics.
The lead author, Dr Julian Shield, even noted that more radical measures could be needed in the most extreme cases, including stomach-restricting surgery for those adolescents who struggle to lose the weight. He recognised the controversial nature of this suggestion, but argued that it could cure the diabetes in many cases – and would also very much reduce the economic burden to the NHS in successive years, through significantly lower drug therapy costs.
Source: The Guardian, 2 March 2009.