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Diabetes in under-fives soars

Cases of type 1 diabetes in children under five are set to double by 2020 across Europe if current trends continue, according to research published in The Lancet.

Researchers from Queen's Universities in Belfast and the UK and Pecs University in Hungary analysed diabetes data from 20 diabetes centres in 17 European countries. They found 29,311 cases of type 1 diabetes had been recorded between 1989 and 2003 and that the number of children diagnosed with the disease was increasing by 4 per cent per year, with the most significant increase of 5 per cent per year seen in under-fives.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by insulin deficiency and has to be treated with insulin injections. The onset of the disease at an early age has been found to be associated with more severe symptoms, including fatigue, blurred vision and weight loss.

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