A new study found that the number of American kids with type 1 diabetes increased by almost 60 percent. Such number contributes to the puzzling rise of the disorder among children worldwide.
The numbers
A team of investigators reviewed a national database and found that from 1.5 cases per 1,000 pediatric patients in 2002, the prevalence of type 1 diabetes rose to 2.3 per 1,000 in 2013.
What is type 1 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, which means that contrary to type 2 diabetes, it is not related to obesity. The disorder is characterized by the immune system attacking the cells that generate insulin, which is a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.
Interestingly, this disorder is most commonly diagnosed in childhood.
Patients with type 1 diabetes need to be administered with injectable insulin shots everyday to ensure that insulin stays in necessary levels. Some people have insulin pump implants for them to survive.
Dr. Steven Griffen from JDRF (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) said that the disease is hard to manage and results in long-term complications such as nerve impairments, heart disease and kidney failure.
Why the rise?
The reality that type 1 diabetes is increasing in number signifies clearly that it is vital to understand the causes of the disease, Griffen said. He added that the trend is observed all over the world and investigations in other countries exhibit similar findings.
"As to the question of why, we don't have an answer," he said.
Several theories exist and experts are currently investigating on details.
One of the theories is that lack of diversity in gut bacteria, which normally reside in the gastrointestinal system, may trigger susceptible children to develop type 1 diabetes. The distinct characteristics of gut microbiomes are said to decrease due to a variety of factors such as Cesarean section delivery, antibiotic therapy and consumption of processed food.
Another theory is that viral infections may set off the aberrant immune system mechanism that causes type 1 diabetes.
One of the authors of the recent study named Susan Jick from Boston University School of Public Health said that for now, the ultimate reason as to why prevalence rates keep on rising remains unclear.
The study was published in the journal Diabetes Care on December 17.
Photo: Ian D. Keating | Flickr
