Type 2 diabetes on the rise in indigenous children
6 December 2002
Type 2 diabetes in children is raising concerns of doctors treating Australia's indigenous population, prompting screening in at-risk populations.
(In type 2 diabetes either there is not enough insulin in the body to control blood sugar or the available insulin may not be working properly; this is more likely if you are overweight and have a family history of this disorder.)
Far North Queensland endocrinologist Dr Ashim Singh has documented 20 cases among Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait Islander children over 2 years.
Dr Singh, from the diabetes centre at Cairns Base Hospital, said, 'The mean age of our cases is 13 years, so the disease mostly develops around puberty'.
Most of the patients are obese and all have a family history of type 2 diabetes.
In the Torres Strait and northern peninsula, type 2 diabetes is known to affect about 24 per cent of the population over the age of 15 years.
Nutritionist Aletia Twist, a PhD student at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research will embark next January on Australia's first population based study of type 2 diabetes in children, screening more than 1200 Torres Strait Islander children aged 5 to 20 years.
Last Reviewed: 05 December 2002
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 06/12/02
