Monday, November 3, 2008

Kids being Meidicated for Chronic Conditions

The number of children on medication for chronic illnesses in the United States went up between 2002 and 2005 across a range of diseases, with a doubling of medication for type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

The researchers investigated commercial medical insurance claims made between 2002 and 2005 for a nationally representative sample of more than 3.5 million children aged from 5 to 19 years.

The results showed that:

  • Out of 1,000 children 29.5 of them recieve medication to treat asthma.
  • Type two diabetes prevelance doubled within the two years this study occured.
  • This was due to a 166 per cent rise among females aged 10 to 14 and 135 per cent among females aged 15 to 19.
  • Overall the number of children recieving medications for chronic conditions, is more prevelant in girls than boys.

This information was recieved from:

Cox, R., Halloran, D., Homan., Welliver, S., Mager, D. (2008). Trends in the Prevelance of Chronic Medication Use in Children 2002-2005. Pediatrics. 122(5), 1053-1061. Retrieved Octover 30th, 2008, from http://depts.washington.edu/thmedia/news.cgi?section=bodyimage

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