New Study Shows More Children With Severe Cases Of Type 2 Diabetes

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Pediatricians are seeing a troubling trend during the pandemic, with more children with severe cases of Type 2 diabetes.

Andrew Aparicio, 17, started making serious lifestyle changes after he was hospitalized for a week and diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in May 2020.

"I kind of saw it happening because I was not eating healthy. It was all over the place with my diet," he said.

A new study presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting shows Andrew is not alone.

Researchers compared hospitalizations at a Louisiana hospital from 2019 to 2020 and found cases and severity of Type 2 diabetes in children increased significantly during the peak of the pandemic.

"Many of children's well visits with their doctors have been canceled, so people who may have been caught on routine, well-child visits, those may have been missed until the condition has progressed," said Dr. Lily Chao with Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Dr. Chao said stay-at-home orders may have also played a role, since many kids may have been getting less physical activity, eating unhealthily, and spending more time on screens.

"If you already are at risk of getting diabetes, putting all that extra weight on does not help," she said.

Andrew says his diagnosis was a wake-up call. He's dropped more than 100 pounds through diet and exercise.

"It's pretty crazy to think about how much I lost over the past year and how committed I've been ever since then because I was really traumatized," he says.

cHe has been able to cut back on his medications and is looking forward to starting his senior year of high school in better health.

Diabetes symptoms to look out for include increased fatigue, thirst, urination, and sudden, unexplained weight loss.