The results come from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study’s final report, which represents the largest diabetes surveillance program for children and young adults ever carried out in the United States. The multi-site study, which began in 2000 and was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was coordinated by Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
In five facilities in the U.S. between 2002 and 2018, the research team found more than 18,000 children and young people with Type 1 diabetes who were under the age of 19 and more than 5,200 young people with Type 2 diabetes who were between the ages of 10 and 19. the yearly incidence of Type 1 diabetes was 22.2 per 100,000 in 2017–18 and 17.9 per 100,000 for Type 2 diabetes.
According to our 17-year data, the incidence of Type 1 diabetes climbed by 2% annually, whereas the incidence of Type 2 diabetes increased by 5.3% annually, stated Wagenknecht.
Racial and ethnic groupings experienced higher rates of growth than non-Hispanic white children did. Particularly, children and young people of Asian or Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Black ancestry experienced the biggest annual percentage increases for Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.
For Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, respectively, the peak age of diagnosis was 10 and 16 years, respectively. The onset of Type 1 diabetes often happens in the winter, with a peak in January, according to researchers. The variation in daylight hours, climate, and other factors are potential causes for this seasonality.
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Analysis reveals an increasing trend in incidence of youth-onset type 1 and type 2 diabetes
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Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Mar 6 2023
New findings from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine confirm that the rates of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes continue to increase in children and young adults. Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic children and young adults also had higher incidence rates of diabetes.
The study appears online in the current issue of The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
Our research suggests a growing population of young adults with diabetes who are at risk of developing complications from the disease. It’s a troubling trend in young people whose health care needs will exceed those of their peers.”
Lynne E. Wagenknecht, Dr.P.H., professor and director of public health sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and principal investigator
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The findings are from the final report from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study, the largest surveillance effort of diabetes among youth under the age of 20 conducted in the U.S. to date. Wake Forest University School of Medicine served as the coordinating center of the multi-site study, which was launched in 2000 and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
The research team identified more than 18,000 children and young people from infants to 19 years of age with a physician diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes and more than 5,200 young people between the ages of 10 and 19 with Type 2 diabetes at five centers in the U.S. between 2002 and 2018. The annual incidence of Type 1 diabetes was 22.2 per 100,000 in 2017–18 and 17.9 per 100,000 for Type 2 diabetes.
“In our 17-year analysis, we found that the incidence of Type 1 diabetes increased by 2% per year, and the incidence of Type 2 diabetes increased by 5.3% per year,” Wagenknecht said.
The rates of increase were also higher among racial and ethnic groups than among non-Hispanic white children. Specifically, annual percentage increases for Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes were highest for Asian or Pacific Islander, Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black children and young people.
The peak age at diagnosis was 10 years for Type 1 diabetes and 16 years for Type 2 diabetes. Researchers also noted that the onset of Type 1 diabetes typically occurs in winter with a peak in January. Possible explanations for this seasonality include the fluctuation in daylight hours, lower levels of vitamin D and an increase in viral infections.
For Type 2 diabetes, the peak onset was August. Researchers attribute this to the increase in sports physicals and routine health screenings that occur more frequently at the beginning of the academic school year.
“These findings will help guide focused prevention efforts,” Wagenknecht said. “Now that we have a better understanding of risk factors, our next phase of research will be studying the underlying pathophysiology of youth-onset diabetes.”
