Obesity and a lack of physical activity are contributing to a sharp increase in the number of children who develop type 2 diabetes. The federal Centers for Disease Control and prevention warns that unless more people improve their eating habits and physical activity levels, as many as one in three American children born in 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes has been described as an epidemic and the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes can lead to many problems, inclusing blindness, kidney failure, leg, foot or toe amputation; heart disease and stroke. Type 2 diabetes is being diagnosed in children and adolescents more frequently and at a younger age than ever before.
African-American, Hispanic and Native American children may be at particularly high risk.
According to the New York state Department of Health, at least 2,000 children in New York state have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. However, because the full scope of the problem is hard to quantify, the Center for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health are undertaking a five-year study to determine the current status of the disease among American children and adolescents.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the body's ability to produce or use insulin, a hormone that allows the cells to turn sugar into energy. There are two types. Type 1, where the pancreas cannot produce insulin, most often appears during childhood or adolescence.
Type 2, where the body cannot use produced insulin properly, most often affects adults over age 40 and is more common, affecting 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes. However, Type 2 diabetes is no longer considered an adult-only disease being diagnosed at younger ages-even among children and teens.
Being overweight and inactive increases one's risk for this disease, but recent studies have demonstrated that improving a person's eating and physical activity, along with weight loss if they are overweight, can prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
People with diabetes often do not recognize the symptoms which may include: frequent urination and/or bedwetting in children, extreme hunger, thirst and weight loss, feeling weak and tired; irritability; blurred vision; cuts or bruises that are slow to heal; tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, and recurring skin, gum or bladder infections.
Answering a few simple questions can tell you if you are at risk for diabetes. If you are overweight, over age 40 and have a family history of diabetes, you should ask your health care provider about being tested for this disease. A simple blood test is all that is needed to tell someone if they have diabetes. Early detection and treatment can help prevent the most serious complications.
For more information about diabetes call the Cayuga County Department of Health & Human Services at 253-1560.
African-American, Hispanic and Native American children may be at particularly high risk.
According to the New York state Department of Health, at least 2,000 children in New York state have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. However, because the full scope of the problem is hard to quantify, the Center for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health are undertaking a five-year study to determine the current status of the disease among American children and adolescents.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the body's ability to produce or use insulin, a hormone that allows the cells to turn sugar into energy. There are two types. Type 1, where the pancreas cannot produce insulin, most often appears during childhood or adolescence.
Type 2, where the body cannot use produced insulin properly, most often affects adults over age 40 and is more common, affecting 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes. However, Type 2 diabetes is no longer considered an adult-only disease being diagnosed at younger ages-even among children and teens.
Being overweight and inactive increases one's risk for this disease, but recent studies have demonstrated that improving a person's eating and physical activity, along with weight loss if they are overweight, can prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
People with diabetes often do not recognize the symptoms which may include: frequent urination and/or bedwetting in children, extreme hunger, thirst and weight loss, feeling weak and tired; irritability; blurred vision; cuts or bruises that are slow to heal; tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, and recurring skin, gum or bladder infections.
Answering a few simple questions can tell you if you are at risk for diabetes. If you are overweight, over age 40 and have a family history of diabetes, you should ask your health care provider about being tested for this disease. A simple blood test is all that is needed to tell someone if they have diabetes. Early detection and treatment can help prevent the most serious complications.
For more information about diabetes call the Cayuga County Department of Health & Human Services at 253-1560.
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