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Key takeaways:
- Type 2 diabetes moves faster and hits harder in children than in adults, and it often damages the body’s ability to make insulin before it’s diagnosed.
- Early diagnosis, along with diet and exercise changes, can make it manageable.
- An estimated 8 million U.S. teens have prediabetes, which lifestyle changes can help reverse.
Eighth grader Grace Cashion had stomach pain for months before doctors found type 2 diabetes. At the Diabetes Clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, pediatric endocrinologist Leena Mamilly, MD started her on insulin and connected the family with a dietitian. Within months of modifying her diet, Grace’s blood sugar improved and she came off insulin.
