09 Aug 2004
Source Medical news today

Once seen only in adults, type 2 diabetes has been rising steadily in children and teens, especially black, Hispanic and American Indian adolescents, according to US government reports from clinics across the USA. The longer a person has diabetes, the greater the chances of developing serious damage to the eyes, nerves, heart, kidneys, and blood vessels.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), using revised American Diabetes Association guidelines, estimates that about 40 percent of Americans ages 40 to 74--or more than 41 million people--have "pre-diabetes," a condition in which people have higher than normal blood sugar levels but are not yet diagnosed as having diabetes.