Over the past few years, doctors and researchers have discovered that more young people are showing signs of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
In a study conducted at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, researchers found that many children and adolescents with diabetes developed characteristics of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The study included 260 children who had already been diagnosed with one of the two types of diabetes. Depending on age and cultural background, from 1 in 4 to 1 in 10 children studied developed symptoms of both types of diabetes. The children were studied and observed over a nine-year period.
These characteristics can develop whether the individual was originally diagnosed with type 1 diabetes or with type 2 diabetes. There is no actual medical term to designate this condition, but researchers have been calling it double diabetes. In the past, the majority of cases of double diabetes were found in older adults.
In children and adolescents, diabetes of both types has increased two- to threefold over the past several decades.
The Differences Between Type 1 and Type 2
In type 1 diabetes, insulin production is defective. This usually occurs early in life, and lifelong insulin shots are required. Researchers have linked increases in type 1 diabetes with increased obesity in children.
In type 2 diabetes, the muscles don't respond to insulin, although the pancreas produces it. Glucose stays within the blood and not in the tissues. Type 2 diabetes is associated with being overweight in both children and adults.
Increased Risk
Because the treatments for the two types of diabetes differ, treating a combination of the two is difficult. Most children with this condition are overweight or obese. There is universal agreement that the best approach is prevention, which includes good nutrition, regular physical activity, and weight management for children of all ages.
Parents should work with their children's doctors to develop a safe and effective exercise and dietary regimen. Parents can also help by setting a good example. |
