(WKYC) - Amelie O'Connor is a normal kid in every way but one.
"You have this organ in your body called the pancreas
that every time you eat gives you insulin and mine just stopped working
so I need special help for that," she says.
And she's not alone.
Amelie is among a growing number of young people being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
"The latest report from the CDC shows that within the last
10 years, we have seen 23 percent increase in the Type 1 Diabetic
population in the younger age," says Cleveland Clinic Dr. Betul
Hatipoglu.
What's frightening is doctors don't know why.
"Of course, there is a genetic predisposition, but the rise is in
many different countries, so genes are not enough to explain this
increase," says Dr. Hatipoglu.
She adds that there are several theories for the spike including
possible environmental causes such as our clean environment that doesn't
expose kids to germs that helps their immune system mature.
Or perhaps too much processed food eaten by kids and/or pregnant mothers. Or the theory of kids maturing too fast.
Read More >>
