Showing posts with label Treatments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Treatments. Show all posts
Researchers say rate of type 1 diabetes in children growing faster than earlier predictions
Reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks
27 May, 2009 -- The incidence of type 1 diabetes among very young children looks set to double (from 2005 figures) in just over a decade if present trends continues. These are the findings that have emerged from a new study carried out by researchers at Queen’s University, Ireland.
The prediction is based on type 1 diabetes trends in Europe. Researchers are convinced that environmental exposures are driving the increase, but it is far from clear what those exposures are.
Once known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes is much less common than type 2 diabetes, except among children and adolescents.
The most common age of diagnosis is normally the early teen years. However, the new study suggests that the burden may now be shifting toward younger children.
"We are likely to see more children with severe diabetes complications presenting at earlier ages if we fail to recognise and adequately treat disease in very young patients," says Dr. Christopher Patterson, the epidemiologist who headed the study.
In a May issue of The Lancet, Patterson and colleagues concluded that rates of type 1 diabetes among children and young teens are increasing faster than previous predictions suggested.
Patterson and colleagues analysed data from European registries, which included information on more than 29,000 children with type 1 diabetes, enrolled between 1989 and 2003.
They found that:
- The overall increase in incidence of type 1 diabetes was 3.9% per year.
- The increase was greatest among children under five, who saw increases of 5.4% per year compared to an annual increase of 4.3% among children between the ages of five and nine and 2.9% among children between the ages of 10 and 14.
- If present trends continue, total cases of disease are projected to rise by 70% by 2020 and rates among children under five will double.
Reasons for increase in type 1 diabetes
Patterson believes that, because the increases are occurring so quickly, it is likely that environmental influences are driving the trend.
Researchers are examining a wide range of possible environmental triggers, including early-life diet, viral infection, and even Caesarean births, but they still have more questions than answers.
"Being born to an older mother and having a Caesarean delivery seems to be associated with slight increases in risk,” says Patterson, “But neither one of these factors is sufficient to explain the increases we are seeing.”
Meanwhile, Professor Dana Dabelea, an epidemiologist at the University of Colorado, believes that another key factor to consider is rapid early growth due to improved early-life nutrition.
Dabelea is a co-investigator on the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study. This is an American health initiative where children with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, in different areas in the US, are being monitored in an effort to better understand diabetes trends in non-adults.
In 2007, Dabelea and colleagues reported higher-than-predicted rates of type 1 diabetes amongst children in the US. The increase was most pronounced among non-Hispanic white children.
In an editorial accompanying this new study, Dabelea called for more research on type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children.
"It is imperative that efforts directed at surveillance of diabetes in young people continue and expand, not only to understand its complex etiology, but also because of the increasing public health importance.”
A number of different factors can cause chronic pain. Often conditions that accompany normal ageing may affect the bones and joints in ways that result in chronic pain. Other common causes are nerve damage and injuries that fail to heal properly.
Some types of chronic pain have multiple causes. Back pain, for example, may be due to a single factor or any combination of these factors:
- Years of poor posture
- Ill-considered lifting and carrying of heavy objects
- Being overweight, which puts excess strain on the back and knees
- A congenital condition such as curvature of the spine
- Traumatic injury
- Wearing high heels
- Sleeping on a poor-quality mattress
- Ordinary ageing of the spine (degenerative changes)
Disease can also be the underlying cause of chronic pain. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are well-known culprits, but persistent pain may also be due to conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, stomach ulcers, AIDS and gallbladder disease.
In many cases, though, the source of chronic pain can be very complex and difficult to unravel. Although it may start with an injury or illness, ongoing pain can develop a psychological dimension after the physical problem has healed.
This fact alone makes pinning down a single course of treatment tricky. It is why doctors often find they have to try a number of different curative steps.
Diabetes UK funded research
Diabetes UK's mission is to improve the lives of people with diabetes and work towards a world without diabetes. The aim of Diabetes UK funded research is to contribute to delivery of the mission through an effective programme of research focusing on three key areas. These are Care and Treatment, Cause and Prevention, and Cure.
In addition to the projects classified under these three key areas we also sometimes fund larger research studies such as islet cell transplants or the Warren collections. More information about these projects will appear in the future.
We are indebted to all our members, supporters, regular givers, individual donors, voluntary groups, charitable trusts and corporate supporters for supporting Diabetes UK research.
If you would like to view all of the ongoing projects that we are
Diabetes touches the lives of over two million people in the UK – if you aren’t directly affected by the condition, you probably know someone who is.
Diabetes UK funds vital research for a future without diabetes, while helping children and adults to manage their diabetes today.
Your donation will help us continue our research into the causes of diabetes, and our work to prevent and, one day, cure the condition.
With your help, we can continue to provide invaluable services such as our support holidays for children and families, and the Diabetes UK Careline, which all provide information and emotional support for people living with diabetes.
Every donation counts, and is used to benefit people with diabetes, their families and carers.
You can make a secure one-off donation online now, or make an ongoing contribution to our work by Direct Debit. This might include a donation made in memory, joining our weekly lottery or seasonal prize draws.
There are also many other ways to donate listed in the menu on the left.If you prefer, you could donate by phone. Just call Supporter services on 0845 123 2399 with your credit card details.
Or post your cheque, bankers draft or postal order, made payable to Diabetes UK, to:
Diabetes UKMacleod House
10 Parkway
London
NW1 7AA
Balancing your diet when you are diagnosed with diabetes can be challenging. Although the food choices you make and your eating habits are important in helping you manage your diabetes, you should be able to continue enjoying a wide variety of foods as part of healthy eating.
This section of the website provides you with information on how to manage your diet everyday as well as help you plan for special occasions. It is packed with some mouthwatering recipes and plenty of tips and advice on shopping and food labelling.
Being diagnosed with diabetes or knowing someone who is diagnosed with diabetes may throw up many questions about how it fits into your daily life. From how it makes you feel to managing diabetes at work or whilst you are driving. This section provides lots of information about how diabetes can fit around you and your life.
My life
For young people with diabetes
You should also visit My life, our new websites for children, teenagers and young adults with diabetes.
Being diagnosed with diabetes or knowing someone who is diagnosed with diabetes may throw up many questions about how it fits into your daily life. From how it makes you feel to managing diabetes at work or whilst you are driving. This section provides lots of information about how diabetes can fit around you and your life.
My life
For young people with diabetes
You should also visit My life, our new websites for children, teenagers and young adults with diabetes.
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, giving up smoking is one of the most positive things you can do to both improve your health and reduce your risks of the long-term complications associated with the condition.
This section of the website explains about the damage smoking does to people with diabetes, the benefits of giving up and ideas on how to get the support you need to stop smoking.
Being active is good for all of us but is especially important for people with diabetes. Physical activity, combined with healthy eating and any diabetes medication that you might be taking, will help you to manage your diabetes and prevent long-term diabetes complications.
Everyday fitness
Activity made easy...
Being more physically active often conjures up images of gym memberships, long distance runs and aerobics in a leotard, yet this need not be the case. The great news is that you can become more active by making small changes to your lifestyle.
This section of the website offers you a chance to think about what:
- makes being more active important to you
- might be getting in the way of you taking the plunge
- changes you can make to your daily routine.
It lays out the long-term aim for activity levels, providing you with lots of ideas and top tips for being more active.
... Plus info for the seriously sporty
There is also information for the more serious sports people amongst you.
Don't be afraid to ask
If you have any concerns at all about becoming more active, never be afraid to ask for advice – your diabetes team is there to help.
Balancing your diet when you are diagnosed with diabetes can be challenging. Although the food choices you make and your eating habits are important in helping you manage your diabetes, you should be able to continue enjoying a wide variety of foods as part of healthy eating.
Eating a balanced diet, managing your weight, and following a healthy lifestyle, together with taking any prescribed medication and monitoring where appropriate will benefit your health enormously.
Remember, in the long run it is better to make small changes that you feel you can stick to rather than completely altering your diet and not sticking to it.
Taking steps to balance your diet will help you control your:
- blood glucose levels
- blood fats – cholesterol and triglycerides
- blood pressure
It will also help regulate your weight. If you are overweight losing weight will help you control your diabetes and will also reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.
You are sure to have lots of questions about your diet. A registered dietitian will be able to answer your questions. Diabetes UK recommends that everyone with diabetes should see a registered
Being diagnosed with diabetes means that looking after your health has become even more important. This section of the Guide to diabetes includes information about medications, your lifestyle, monitoring your health and complementary therapies.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Posts
