‘Alarming Rate’ of Type 1 Growing in US, Hispanic Population
Over the past year, we have read numerous reports in the news that state the growth of type 1 and type 2 diabetes worldwide and a report from last week’s American Diabetes Association conference furthered confirmed this statistic.
The report in question had a specific focus on Hispanic children in the U.S., who are developing both types of diabetes at an “alarming rate,” as the Lynwood Patch reports. It reveals that Type 1 diabetes is growing at an annual rate of approximately 3 percent, which is a 23 percent increase in 8 years among children and young adults.
“Rates of diabetes among Hispanic kids have outpaced other groups both in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes – something we’ve never seen before and indicative of something we should take seriously,” said the study’s author, Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD, a professor at the University of Colorado in Denver.
So why are Hispanics suffering such high rates of diabetes, including type 1? And why is type 1 continuing to rise both in the US and globally around the world?
It would be interesting to find out the answer to these questions, but it is even more important to create a plan to tackle these statistics head on, rather than just reporting how the situation is getting more and more alarming. No one in the diabetes industry can deny that type 1 diabetes is rising, but unfortunately far too few efforts are focused on developing a real, Practical Cure for type 1 that can help the people already living with the disease.
Photo by: Flickr – craig1black
