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Type 1, type 2 diabetes incidence rising in minority youths
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Incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes increased among U.S. children and adolescents from 2002 to 2012 with substantial growth among members of minority racial and ethnic groups, according to study data.
“The risk for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in youth in increasing,” Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis, PhD, Cary C. Boshamer distinguished professor of nutrition and medicine, chair of the department of nutrition at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, told Endocrine Today. “For type 1 diabetes, unexpectedly, the fasted rate of increase was found among Hispanic youth. It is important for parents to learn the common signs and symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.”
Mayer-Davis and colleagues evaluated data from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study on 11,245 children and adolescents (aged 0 to 19 years) with type 1 diabetes and 2,846 adolescents with type 2 diabetes (aged 10 to 19 years) to report estimated trends in the incidences of type 1 and type 2 diabetes between 2002 to 2012 among youths from the five largest racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Participants were recruited from five clinical centers in California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington.
“Because of the early age of onset and longer diabetes duration, youth are at risk for developing diabetes-related complications at a younger age,” study researcher Giuseppina Imperatore, MD, PhD, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s division of diabetes translation, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, said in a press release. “This profoundly lessens their quality of life, shortens their life expectancy, and increases health care costs.”
In 2002 to 2003, the incidence of type 1 diabetes was 19.5 cases per 100,000 youths per year; this increased to 21.7 cases per 100,000 youths per year in 2011 to 2012 (annual increase, 1.4%; P = .03). Incidence of type 1 diabetes decreased in participants aged 0 to 4 years (P = .03) compared with increases in participants aged 5 to 9 years (P = .048) and participants aged 15 to 19 years (P = .03). Incidence of type 1 diabetes increased among boys (P = .003), but not girls. Hispanic participants had a higher incidence of type 1 diabetes (annual increase, 4.2%) compared with white participants (annual increase, 1.2%; P < .001 for pairwise comparison). The annual relative increase in type 1 diabetes was 1.8% (P < .001) after adjustment for age, sex and race or ethnic group.
In 2002 to 2003, the incidence of type 2 diabetes was 9 cases per 100,000 youths per year, which increased to 12.5 cases per 100,000 youths per year in 2011 to 2012 (annual increase, 7.1%; P < .001). White participants had a lower trend compared with trends among black participants, Asians or Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans (P < .05 for all pairwise comparisons). Incidence of type 2 diabetes increased at all study sites except in Ohio. The annual relative increase in type 2 diabetes was 4.8% (P < .001) after adjustment for age, sex and race or ethnic group.
“These findings lead to many more questions,” study researcher Barbara Linder, MD, PhD, senior advisor for childhood diabetes research at the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said in the release. “The differences among racial and ethnic groups and between genders raise many questions. We need to understand why the increase in rates of diabetes development varies so greatly and is so concentrated in specific racial and ethnic groups.” – by Amber Cox
For more information:
Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis, PhD, can be reached at ejmayer-davis@unc.edu.
Disclosure: Imperatore and Linder report no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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