SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -A new study projects a sharp rise of diabetes in kids.
“We used to see a patient with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes maybe once a month and then it went to twice a month and now it’s every week,” said Dr. Rushika Conroy, A Baystate Health pediatric endocrinologist.
Dr. Conroy told Western Mass News their Type 2 Pediatric diabetes clinic has doubled its patients since the start of the pandemic. It’s a problem that is widespread.
According to a new study published in Diabetes Care, researchers expect an almost 700% increase in young people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes by the year 2060, around 220,000 kids. The number of minors with Type 1 diabetes could increase as much as 65% in the next 40 years.
Dr. Conroy said the reasons include overeating, inactivity and stress children have faced during the pandemic.
“Stress which can alter your hormones and can also make your blood sugars go higher and make it, so your body has a harder time controlling them,” she said.
While adults with Type 2 diabetes can be treated by changing their diet, losing weight or taking a pill, she says treating children with Type 2, it’s not as easy.
“They pretty rapidly lose any kind of pancreas function where the insulin is made to control blood sugars and so they end up needing to take insulin pretty quickly,” said Dr. Conroy.
The other worry for kids is the complications that come from diabetes.
“The kidney problems and the nerve problem s and cardiovascular problems happening to kids when they haven’t even finished high school yet and that is not something we have experienced before and so it’s a really scary thing,” she said.
Dr.Conroy said to prevent and reduce the effects of Type 2 diabetes: kids need to find a way to cope with stress, eat healthier and get work some sort of activity into their day.
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