There are seven recorded cases in England and Wales of girls, aged 5 to 10 years old, with type 2 diabetes and according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s National Paediatric and Diabetes Audit, sugary diets and lack of exercise may be to blame. Shockingly, there are a further 146 cases in girls and 64 cases of boys aged age 10 to 14 who are at greater risk of serious complications including diabetic retinopathy, kidney failure and heart attack.

The increase in type 2 diabetes in children has only occurred over the past two decades and the illness advances with complications a lot more rapidly in children than in adults.

Dr Justin Warner, clinical lead for the UK audit, said the challenge is that more children are being diagnosed with diabetes and some are displaying early signs of potentially serious long-term health problems.

“This is a lifelong condition where tight overall diabetes control is important to reduce the risk of complications later in life. [It] requires a close partnership between healthcare professionals delivering care [to] children and families with diabetes,†he said.

Type 2 diabetes in Australia’s children and young people: a working paper released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2014 reports that rates of types 2 diabetes amongst children and young people have not risen in recent times. However with approximately 400 new cases of type 2 diabetes identified a year in the 10-24 year old age range it is still a topic of concern amongst health professionals. The working paper cautions complacency based on the fact that numbers are relatively small and stable and warns “the preliminary data presented here may underestimate the true situation given the limitations of the data sources.â€

“It is important that children and young people, as for all Australians, maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle in helping to prevent type 2 diabetes.†Caroline George, Diabetes NSW dietitian says.

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