Drug use amongst diabetic children increasing

According to Financial Times analysis of prescription data from American, soaring levels of obesity amongst American children is causing a record surge in the level of type 2 diabetes medication being taken. The research was conducted by Medco, the largest drug benefits manager in the US, and found that the number of children taking the medicine doubled between 2001 and 2005.
Furthermore, the findings indicate the high levels of children are taking diabetes drugs for other serious, chronic conditions. The complications, once only affecting adults, included high cholesterol and hypertension . The rise and rise in diabetic drug ingestion amongst children indicates the scale of the obesity problem in the US. Adult-onset diabetes no longer applies to type 2.
The chief medical officer for Medco, Dr. Robert Epstei, reportedly commented: “You don’t envision that so many kids are taking multiple medications. These kids clearly have a constellation of problems. It looks like the same thing is playing out in children…We really need to take a swipe at obesity.”
By 2025, the International Diabetes Federation estimate, global prevalence of diabetes could exceed 7.3 per cent – 380 million people.