According to a new report the rate of Type 1 diabetes in Australian children will leap by 10 per cent in the five years to 2013, cementing Australia's position in the top 10 OECD nations for the condition's prevalence. Currently the prevalence of diabetes in Australia ranks seventh-highest among the 30 OECD nations.
The report adds that the likelihood of a child developing the condition increases with age, with 10- to 14-year-olds much more likely to be sufferers. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare looked at the prevalence of Type 1 diabetes among children up to 14 found that, in 2008, 5700 children had the condition. By 2013 that was expected to be more than 6400 they write in the report. The study estimates that, by 2013, 153 in every 100,000 children in Australia will have Type 1 diabetes, which is up about 10 per cent from the rate in 2008 of 138 children per 100,000.
There was no significant difference in the prevalence of Type 1 diabetes between boys and girls in 2008, the report found. However, prevalence of Type 1 diabetes did increase with age. Slightly more than 250 in every 100,000 young Australians aged 10-14 years had Type 1 diabetes in 2008. This compares with fewer than 30 cases per 100,000 children aged 0-4 years.
Diabetes expert Maria Craig, from the University of NSW, said research suggested four key factors were associated with the rising prevalence of the disease. These include common enteroviruses that caused rashes and other symptoms; rapid weight gain in early infancy; cows' milk baby formula; and vitamin D deficiency.
Type 1 diabetes results from the body's inability to produce insulin; without it the body's cells cannot turn sugar into energy and burns its own fats as a substitute. Patients need up to four insulin injections a day to survive. The condition is associated with long-term health complications, including kidney disease, heart disease and stroke.
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