Type 1 diabetes climbing in non-Hispanic white youth

In a study that included data on more than 2 million children and adolescents in the U.S., researchers found that type 1 diabetes is on the rapid rise among non-Hispanic white youth.

From 2002 to 2009, the rate of type 1 diabetes rose from 24.4 per 100,000 kids in the first year of the study to 27.4 per 100,000 youth in the last year of the research.

The most pronounced increases were seen in children between the ages of 5 and 9.

"Type 1 diabetes is the predominant form of diabetes diagnosed in childhood. The incidence has been rising in many other countries, particularly in Europe, but data from large populations in the U.S. were limited," said lead study author Jean M. Lawrence, ScD, MPH, MSSA, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. "This project provides a much larger and more geographically diverse sample than previous studies in the U.S."

Boys more at risk

The study also found the rate of increase to be slightly higher in boys than in girls, and that there was no increase among children 4 years old or younger.

Lawrence pointed out that the rising rates of type 1 diabetes ensure more and more children - and their families - will be burdened with financial and health obstacles typically associated with the care they need.

The study was based on the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth registry, which is one of the largest research projects in the U.S. on youth-related diabetes.

"These trends will continue to be monitored in the U.S. by the SEARCH study to help identify trends in type 1 diabetes in non-Hispanic white youth and youth from other racial and ethnic groups, and to identify potential causes of these increases," Lawrence concluded.

Source: Kaiser Permanente