Type 2 diabetes going undetected in many British children
The number of children in the UK with type 2 diabetes may be far greater than previously thought.
In a letter to the BMJ, workers from the International
Obesity TaskForce calculate that there may now be around 1,400 children with the disease.
Using a survey of obesity in English schoolchildren, they also determined
that around 20,000 obese children may have impaired glucose tolerance.
“That we are not recording these high numbers indicates that the
problem may be hidden,” the authors say, adding that doctors should
be vigilant for symptoms such as thrush (22 May, p1261).
Penny Williams, care adviser, Diabetes
UK, says that, at the moment,
there are only around 100 reported cases of children with type 2 diabetes
in the UK.
The House of Commons Health Committee was due to publish a report
on obesity on 27 May. It will recommend a number of measures to combat obesity
including the introduction of a traffic-light
system for labelling foods (ie, red for the most energy-dense foods that
should be eaten in moderation) and measures to increase physical activities
such as walking and cycling.
The report will criticise primary care trusts for failing to make obesity
as high a priority as it believes it should have been. The establishment
of a strategic framework for prevention and treatment of obesity within
the NHS will be recommended. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader