Teens at higher risk of diabetes, Australia reports

Young people who are suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus are more likely to also suffer complications such as high blood pressure and kidney damage than those teens that have type 1 diabetes… even if they have had the disease for a far shorter period.
The findings were reported from The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Sydney, with one expert at the helm of the study highlighting the need to look for complications in children who are just at risk of the disease… as she said: “Because early treatment may reverse complications.”
The researchers investigated the prevalence of complications related to diabetes amongst young people. Their study group consisted of 1,433 who had type 1 diabetes, and 68 people who had type 2. All of the study group were under 18.
Type 2 diabetics were generally found to have their blood sugar levels under better control, but a protein found in the urine that indicates kidney damage was found to be more prevalent amongst the type 2 patients. Blood pressure was also found to be more common amongst the type 2 patients. Diabetic retinopathy, the researchers claim, was actually found to be more prevalent amongst the type 1 study group. Diabetes, when left unmanaged or badly managed, can result in serious complications.