A new study shows that more children in Europe are developing Type 1 diabetes than predicted, according to a recent article from Parade. A similar trend is taking place in the U.S. as well, suggesting that environmental changes may be to blame, according to researchers.
The exact cause of Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease where the body attacks and destroys insulin producing cells, is not yet known. Insulin is needed to control the body’s blood sugar levels, so many people with Type 1 diabetes inject themselves with insulin several times a day or wear an insulin pump.
Specifically, the data shows that the number of kids in Europe under the age of 15 with diabetes is growing by about 4% per year. The number of younger kids with diabetes is growing even more rapidly, with girls making up a larger chunk of the new cases. In children four years old and younger, the rate jumps by 5.4%. For kids ages 5 to 9, the number of cases increases by 4.3%. Alarmingly, scientists expect the rate of new cases in kids under the age of 5 to double by the year 2020. The data was originally published in the British journal The Lancet.
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