Diabetes Hospitalizes More Young Adults

Nov. 28, 2007 -- Diabetes is causing more young adults to be hospitalized than in past generations, new diabetes research shows.

A new study charts a 38% spike in diabetes-related hospitalizations from 1993 to 2004 among people younger than 30.

Young adults in their 20s accounted for that trend. Diabetes hospitalizations held steady for kids and teens during the years studied.

The trend may be just beginning, note the University of Michigan's Joyce Lee, MD, MPH, and colleagues.

They write that they have "great concern" about rising childhood obesity, which may lead to more cases of type 2 diabetes -- and more diabetes hospitalizations -- in tomorrow's young adults.

Lee's team also discovered that the rise in diabetes hospitalizations was steeper for women than for men.

Women's diabetes hospitalizations soared by 42%, compared with a 29% increase for men. The reason for that pattern isn't clear.

Data came from a national database of hospital discharge records.

Those diabetes hospitalization statistics don't separate out cases related to type 1 or type 2 diabetes. They also don't include anyone treated on an outpatient basis for diabetes.

The study appears in December's edition of Diabetes Care.