Now healthcare and diabetes organizations want to highlight the importance of seeing early signs of disease.
Type 1 diabetes, unlike type 2, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells. This makes the sufferer dependent on insulin injections.
In 2024, around 27 percent of these children were only diagnosed when the situation became acute and the children sought care.
Among children under two years of age, the proportion who were diagnosed only when the situation became acute was a full 55 percent. This is a sharp increase from 2022, when the proportion was 42 percent. This is according to data from the Swedish Childhood Diabetes Foundation, which has obtained data from the National Diabetes Registry.
Simple tests
In the emergency situation, things have gone so far that the child has developed ketoacidosis, a serious acid poisoning that is caused by insulin deficiency and means that the blood pH drops.
It is a life-threatening situation and may require intensive care, says Peter Adolfsson, senior physician in diabetes at Högsbo Hospital in Gothenburg.
But often it doesn't need to go that far if a cheap and simple glucose test or urine test is done.
Type 1 diabetes is a gradual disease process and there are signs that both healthcare professionals and parents can keep an eye on. Thirst, fatigue, weight loss and stomach pain are some. But both parents and healthcare professionals often miss these.
It can be difficult to detect, especially in younger children. Heavy diapers or if children who have become dry start to urinate again can be signs, says Karin Åkesson, pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at Linköping University.
To reduce the risk of young children being affected, the Swedish Childhood Diabetes Foundation, among others, wants to raise the issue in connection with World Diabetes Day on November 14th.
Type 2 is increasing
While the proportion of people with type 1 has remained fairly stable for a few years, the incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing sharply among young adults. A report from Diabetes Sweden and Diabetes Stockholm shows that among people between the ages of 19 and 39, the increase between 2020 and 2024 is a full 35 percent. According to Peter Adolfsson, this is partly due to better diagnosis, but also to how we live.
We are slowly but surely approaching Americanization, with a population that is gaining weight and moving less. This increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. We can avoid this through social measures such as a sugar tax, which helps people make correct choices about food and drink. And daily school gymnastics, says Peter Adolfsson.
Corrected: In an earlier version, Adolfsson was placed in the wrong region. The association behind the report was also incorrect.
There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells, making the person dependent on insulin injections. The disease often begins in childhood or adolescence, but can develop at any age.
Around 900 children under the age of 18 are diagnosed in Sweden each year.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, where the body's cells cannot use insulin effectively. Insulin regulates the level of blood sugar in the body. Insulin resistance is often linked to lifestyle factors.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form and accounts for around 90 percent of all cases – approximately 400,000 people are affected in Sweden. It is characterized by the body developing insulin resistance, which means that the cells do not respond normally to insulin, while insulin production gradually deteriorates.
Type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to lifestyle factors such as diet, physical activity and obesity, but also heredity and other social and biological factors.
Source 1177, Diabetes Report
