health

Dramatic decline in diabetes deaths among youths

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 12, 2012

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The rate of diabetes-related deaths among American youths age 19 and younger decreased 61% during the past four decades, said a report in the Nov. 2 issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The death rate for that population dropped from 2.69 deaths per 1 million youths in 1968-69 to 1.05 deaths per 1 million in 2008-09, the study said.

Contributing to the reduction in mortality is improved diabetes care, the report said. Another possible factor is increased physician awareness of diabetes symptoms, which likely lead to earlier recognition and medical treatment for the condition during the study period, the report said.

When researchers divided the study population into two age groups, children younger than 10 and adolescents ages 10-19, they found deaths decreased more significantly among the youngest study participants than they did among the older individuals.

Diabetes mortality declined during the study period by 78% for children younger than 10 and fell by 52% for youths 10-19, the study said (link).

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/11/12/hlbf1112.htm.

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