First National Survey Finds 23,000 Children with Diabetes in England - 06 April 2009

First National Survey Finds 23,000 Children with Diabetes in England - 06 April 2009

Survey to support better care for children with diabetes

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has found that almost 23,000 children and young people have diabetes in England - a figure higher than previous estimates.

The snapshot survey, 'Growing up with Diabetes: children and young people with diabetes in 2009' commissioned by the Department of Health, gives accurate numbers of children and young people under the age of 18 with diabetes of any type in England.

The report also shows that:

The majority of children and young people have Type 1 diabetes (97 per cent) - this is in contrast to adult populations where numbers of cases of Type 2 far exceed Type 1
A very small percentage of children and young people have Type 2 diabetes (1.5 percent) but prevalence of Type 2 is probably increasing in children as in adults
The greatest number of children and young people with diabetes are aged between 10-14 years (just under 9,000)
The burden of diabetes in school age children is high. There are at least 15,361 children (age 5-15) in schools in England with diabetes - this has significant implications for schools and families
There are differences in numbers of cases between Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs). The numbers with Type 1 are higher than would be expected in the North East and South East Coast SHA's. For Type 2 diabetes, numbers were much higher than average in London, the North East and the West Midlands.

To see the press release - click here

To see the report in full - click here