Type 2 Diabetes in Youth Essay

By 2020 estimates show that approximately 250 million people worldwide will be affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus (Shulman, 2000). Type 2 diabetes also known as adult-onset or non-insulin-dependent diabetes

B. Reason to Listen:   According to the “2013 Fast Fact Sheet” from the American Diabetes Association, nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, which is nearly 10% of the U.S. population.

Patients who are over 45 are more likely to get diabetes; the older you get the more of a risk you have. If the patient has a family background of type 2 diabetes, it is more likely to develop later in their lifetime. Finally, people who do not watch what they consume or how much physical activity they do, tend to become diabetic easier. In 2014, 29.1 million people were diagnosed with diabetes in America.

The rate of diabetes in the United States is one of the highest compared to other developed countries. An estimate of 9.3% of the population have diabetes, of those with diabetes 27.8% have yet to be diagnosed (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). This means that approximately 8.1 million people are currently living with diabetes, but are unaware of it. As of 2012, 12.3% of people with diabetes were 20 years old or older, the largest population diagnosed with diabetes were adults 65 years old or older. 25.9% of this population lives with diabetes (CDC, 2014). On a national level, the CDC have launched initiatives that focus on prevention and disease management. The National Diabetes Prevention Program is an example of one such initiative. This program focuses on lifestyle changes,

With over 30 million people having diabetes, the prevalence is continuing to rise. An estimated 200,000 American youth are effected by type 1 diabetes and 40,000 new cases are diagnosed each year¹. The rate for type 1 diabetes in youth has increased by 1.8% each year. In comparison, the prevalence for type 2 diabetes in youth has increased at a rate of 4.8% annually². No matter whether diabetes is type 1 or type 2 in children, family involvement is essential for optimal outcomes³.

According to the United States Library of Medicine, diabetes is a disease that occurs when the body does not make or use insulin correctly, therefore causing fluctuating amounts of glucose in the blood. Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of adults and children from various cultures. According to the American Diabetes Association (2014), someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 19 seconds. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention most recent statistical report indicated there were 29.1 million adults and children affected by diabetes. Those numbers are astounding. Unfortunately, the American Diabetes Association (2014) estimates by year of 2050, one out of three adults will have diabetes. Therefore, it is imperative that adults take aggressive measures to prevent this disease. By the same token, diabetes diagnosed in children and adolescent is becoming more prevalent every day. The American Diabetes Association (2014) reported there were about 216, 00 children in the United States with diabetes. It is predicted that one out three children will be diagnosed with diabetes in their life. The statistics for both adults and children with diabetes are frightening; however, early detection can help lower the risk of developing the debilitating effects of diabetes.

In the United States and in many other countries around the world more children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In the past, children who were diagnosed with diabetes were diagnosed with type 1. Type 1 diabetes affects many children in which they are unable to produce insulin. However, as times have changed children are now being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes which is a chronic illness that usually affects adults. Type 2 diabetes develops when the person is not able to produce enough insulin, and if insulin is being produce it is not effective. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes are type 2 (2012). About 215,000 children in the United States are

population, has diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is now being recognized as a worldwide epidemic. The disease affects 9.3% of all Americans and 12.3% of those aged 20 years or older. Outstandingly, an estimated 8.1 million Americans with diabetes are undiagnosed. Worldwide, more than 220 million people have diabetes (WHO, 2011). Undiagnosed type 2 diabetes is thought to be common around the world; it is estimated that half of the cases remain undiagnosed (Burant & Young, 2012).

Diabetes. It is said that 8.1 million people with diabetes do not even know that they have this disease (The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2016). Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes, is the most common type of diabetes. About 95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2. People can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. However, this type of diabetes develops most often in middle-aged and older people. People who are overweight and inactive are also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes (Am I at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes? Taking Steps to Lower Your Risk of Getting Diabetes, 2012).

There are many types of diabetes. The two I will be discussing are type 1 and type 2. Type 1 generally affects young people and requires treatment with insulin. Five to ten percent of Americans with diabetes have this type. People with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin and need regular shots of it to keep their blood glucose levels normal. People who are at risk for type 1 are those who have a family history of the disease,

Unlike Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes has generally been seen as a disease that adults develop; it was once commonly called adult-onset diabetes. Although, studies have shown that the number of children developing the disease is

Type 1 Diabetes affects large numbers of children and adolescents nationwide. Gan, Albanese-O’Neil and Haller (2012) describe Type 1 diabetes (T1D) as:

Over the past few years, a rapid increase in type 2 DM prevalence has been documented worldwide. The word epidemic is increasingly used in the context of diabetes and obesity. Even more alarming, type 2 DM is now present and apparently increasing in younger people, including children (14). To what extent the increase in the proportion of people with diabetes is explained by an increasing incidence of the disease, and how much is it due to increased relative survival or earlier diabetes detection, still remains to be answered. The documented epidemic of obesity (15) together with increasing incidence rates of type 2 DM (16,17,18) suggest that the rapid increase in diabetes prevalence throughout the world can largely be attributed to the increasing

What was once thought to be found only among adults has become one of the most common chronic diseases among children in the United States. Ordinarily, when diabetes strikes during childhood it is assumed to be type 1. The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study began in 2000 and has provided the most comprehensive estimates of the prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes among youth less than 20 years of age in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that annually, an estimated 18,436 youth are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and 5,089 youth are diagnosed with type 2 among youth. In the last two decades, type 2 diabetes, has been reported among U.S. children and adolescents with increasing frequency. Disease researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the prediction that one in three children born in the United States in 2000 will likely develop type 2 diabetes sometime in their lifetime unless they get more exercise and improve their diets, particularly for Latino children (CDC, 2014). Without changes in diet and exercise, their odds of developing diabetes as they grow older was about 50-50.

     According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, about 17 million Americans have diabetes and every year about 1 million more age 20 or older are diagnosed with the disorder. People who are overweight, do not exercise, and are 30 years or older are more likely to get the disease (especially type 2 diabetes). People who are also of African American, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, Alaskan