diabetes hit the headlines again recently, what is less reported is the
sharp rise in recent years of the number of under-fives diagnosed with
Type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is a life-long condition and can be life-threatening if not spotted early enough.
Unlike Type 2 diabetes, which largely affects adults, 35,000 children and young people under 19 have a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes; about 700 have Type 2. Ninety-five per cent of children with diabetes in the UK have Type 1.
Experts are alarmed by the rise in Type 1 diabetes in young children, particularly as its cause is unknown.
Research published in The Lancet in 2009 suggested that cases of Type 1 in children under five across Europe may double by 2020. The annual increase in children aged four and under was 5.4 per cent over the period 1989-2003.
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