Prevalence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes has increased among youth less than 18 years of age. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune
disease that occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. This type of diabetes most often develops during childhood, particularly
around the age of puberty. With type 2 diabetes, insulin is still produced but it is not used efficiently, allowing high levels
of glucose to be spilled into the bloodstream. Although the reason for the increase in type 1 diabetes is not well understood,
much of the increase in type 2 diabetes among youth can be explained by the increase in the number of children who are overweight
or obese, or at risk for being overweight or obese.
Diabetes can lead to heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and amputation. The longer a person has diabetes, the greater
the chance for complications to develop. Therefore, diabetes that develops at young ages is a major health concern.
Youth with diabetes are at particular risk for ketoacidosis, a condition in which blood glucose levels rise to a dangerously
high level. Ketoacidosis is an emergency situation that can lead to coma and death without immediate attention.
Definition
Diabetes prevalence among Utah youth refers to the rate of diabetes among Utah youth less than 18 years of age.
How We Calculated the Rates
Numerator:
Population less than 18 years of age who were reported to have been diagnosed with diabetes. (Reported by knowledgeable adult
in the household in the Utah Healthcare Access Survey.)
Denominator:
Total Utah population less than 18 years of age.
Page Content Updated On 10/20/2010,
Published on 02/21/2012
Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, Bureau of Health Promotion, Division of Disease Control and Prevention, Utah Department of Health, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2107,
Telephone: 801-538-6141, Fax: 801-538-9495, Website: http://health.utah.gov/diabetes, Contact: Brenda Ralls, Nathan Peterson,
Email: bralls@utah.gov, nathanpeterson@utah.gov
The information provided above is from the Utah Department of Health's Center for
Health Data IBIS-PH web site (http://ibis.health.utah.gov). The information published
on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation:
"Retrieved
Sat, 25 May 2013 14:36:40
from Utah Department of
Health, Center for Health Data, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web
site: http://ibis.health.utah.gov".
