Medical Writing Projects in AbujaMedical Writing Projects in Abuja๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง: ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ข๐ค๐ โ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌโ
A public health article explaining how cerebral malaria attacks the brain and why it can turn life-threatening. I broke down the science behind the condition, from how it develops to symptoms like confusion, seizures, and loss of consciousness, and explained it in plain language that a general reader could follow without losing what makes it credible.
This piece shows my ability to translate complex medical research into clear language without losing the science.
Link to the article. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JpqugZqCngM6AIbQH9Oh-YhrupnthcbZ/view?usp=drivesdk)
๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ ๐
๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ
Is it malaria, typhoid, or something else? Confusion can be a medical emergency.
When malaria is severe, it can go beyond fever and chills and affect the brain. This can cause dramatic changes in behaviour, consciousness, and thinking that may look frightening or confusing to an untrained observer, and could be mistaken for madness.
This condition is called cerebral malaria.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ข๐?
Cerebral malaria is a very serious form of malaria that affects the brain. It is caused by ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐, the deadliest malaria parasite. This parasite is responsible for most severe malaria and malaria deaths.
And yes, it is caused by the same parasite that causes malaria.
But this isn't just a case of someone having a high fever and feeling weak.
Cerebral malaria can cause a person to become confused, act very differently from normal, have seizures, or even lose consciousness and fall into a coma.
The WHO defines cerebral malaria as an unarousable coma that persists even after other temporary causes, such as low blood sugar or the temporary effects of a recent seizure, have been corrected.
In simpler terms, the person's brain has been affected so severely that they become completely unresponsive. They cannot be woken up by normal stimulation, such as loud sounds or shaking.
That is what makes cerebral malaria so dangerous.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ?
So, how can malaria make someone confused, behave strangely, or even become unconscious?
Remember, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ is a parasite that lives in red blood cells. The parasites do not go directly into the brain tissue. Instead, as the infection becomes severe, these infected cells stick to the walls of the tiny blood vessels in the brain and get trapped there.ย
This blocks blood flow and reduces oxygen to the brain. It causes inflammation, swelling, and changes that can damage brain function.ย
Chemicals in the brain get out of balance.ย
All this causes the brain to function poorly. And when the brain is not functioning well, the effects can be dramatic.
ย ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ:
ย ย โข Become confused or disoriented.ย
ย ย โข See or hear things that are not there (hallucinations).ย
ย ย โข Act aggressively, violently, or very strangely.ย
ย ย โข Have seizures and then be very drowsy or agitated.ย
ย ย โข Talk in a way that does not make sense.
So, what may look like a sudden change in someone's personality or behaviour may actually be a sign that their brain is in serious trouble.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ค๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ โ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌโ
In many communities, especially where mental health literacy is limited, these sudden changes can look like the person is having a mental health crisis. Others may think it is typhoid or even that the person is possessed by spirits.
But cerebral malaria can cause some of these same outward signs.
The important difference is that these changes can be caused by a severe infection affecting the brain. They do not automatically mean that the person has a mental illness.
This is why it is dangerous to make assumptions based only on what you can see.
Many people may not recognise that these symptoms require urgent medical attention. If the behaviour is mistaken for a mental health problem, typhoid, or something supernatural, the person may not receive the medical treatment they urgently need.
Don't dismiss the behaviour as โmadnessโ. It could be the brain signalling that something is seriously wrong.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ?
If a person with suspected or confirmed malaria becomes confused, unusually sleepy, very weak, unconscious, has seizures, or has trouble breathing, treat it as an emergency.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ:
โข Don't wait to see if they get better.
โข Take them to the nearest hospital immediately for urgent medical assessment and treatment.
โข Don't assume it is only a mental health problem, typhoid, or something supernatural.
โข Don't try to manage severe symptoms at home.
โข Don't restrain the person unless it is necessary to prevent immediate injury. A sudden change in behaviour should not be assumed to be purely psychiatric without urgent medical assessment.
โข If a seizure happens, move nearby objects away to prevent injury. Do not put anything in the person's mouth, and do not force food or drink.
Most importantly, get medical help quickly.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐
๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
Cerebral malaria is an important public health problem because it can be life-threatening and can leave lasting effects, especially in children.
Surviving is not always the end of the story.
Even when a person survives cerebral malaria, some may have long-term problems, such as:
ย ย โข Trouble concentrating, learning, or remembering.
ย ย โข Behavioural changes, mood problems, or lasting mental health effects.ย
ย ย โข Difficulty at school or at work.
Children who survive cerebral malaria may be particularly affected, and some may need follow-up care for learning and behaviour problems.
This is why recognising the warning signs early and getting medical care quickly can save lives and help reduce the risk of long-term brain damage.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ
Malaria is more than a fever. When it becomes severe, it can be life-threatening.
And while children are particularly affected by severe malaria, adults can also become seriously ill, including travellers visiting malaria-endemic regions and pregnant women.
When we recognise sudden changes in behaviour, we shouldn't delay urgent medical care. Cerebral malaria needs immediate antimalarial treatment and supportive care in the hospital.
This is also why continued investment in malaria prevention, including treated mosquito nets, indoor spraying, and malaria vaccines, matters, alongside early diagnosis and rapid treatment.
Sometimes, what looks like a change in behaviour is actually a medical emergency.
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
[World Health Organization (WHO) โ Malaria] (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria)
[WHO Guidelines for Malaria]ย (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/guidelines-for-malaria)
[Neuropsychiatric Profile in Malaria: An Overview] (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5020222/)
[Cerebral Malaria and Neuronal Implications of Plasmodium falciparum Infection: From Mechanisms to Advanced Models](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9798991/)
[Human cerebral malaria and the blood-brain barrier](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16616145/)
๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง-๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐
A public health article exploring how suicidal distress can be misunderstood as attention-seeking, and how we can learn to recognise when someone is struggling and respond with more care.
This piece reflects my ability to communicate sensitive health issues by combining storytelling, evidence, and practical guidance in a way that is human, clear, and easy to understand, while helping readers think differently about how they respond to people in distress.
Link to the article. (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/before-you-call-attention-seeking-ask-what-person-trying-uduak-eti-qgxve?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&utm_campaign=share_via)
I've lost count of the number of people I've seen joke about suicidal thoughts or even past attempts, as though suicide were something to laugh about or a game people needed to play.
One of those times, a friend told me a disturbing story about himself. He laughed as he told it, as though it were nothing. He had joked about being tired of life. But what he described afterwards was not a joke. He had gone out alone late at night to an isolated road, hoping something would happen that would end his life. When nothing did, he returned home. The following night, he tried again. He returned home disappointed. And when he told me about it, he laughed it off as though he were recounting an unfortunate incident rather than telling me how close he had come to dying.
I remember the laughter.
Not because it made the story less disturbing, but because it made me think about how easily distress can be disguised, dismissed, or misunderstood. What unsettled me most was the excitement with which he recounted it, as though attempting to end his life were an achievement.
And that stayed with me.
We are often more comfortable judging the behaviour than asking what might be behind it. Sometimes we call someone dramatic because they keep saying they cannot cope or that they are tired of living. Itโs easy to say theyโre too sensitive when the same issue keeps bothering them again and again. But maybe they are just trying to communicate something we donโt understand.
We get frustrated when they keep calling and texting repeatedly, and then withdraw when we ask what's wrong. We tell them they are overreacting when they say they need to be left alone. It irritates us when they post something concerning and delete it shortly afterward. At times, we even mute their stories or statuses because we don't want to be disturbed. Eventually, we stop responding because we have decided they are looking for attention.
What if attention is exactly what they are asking for?
Distress does not always arrive in a way that is convenient for us to recognise. Sometimes it's loud; it's the same thought on repeat; it looks like anger, pulling away, or suddenly needing to be close to someone. And sometimes you canโt even name it. You just know something inside feels too heavy to carry.
That doesnโt mean every unusual behaviour is a sign someone is suicidal. But when someoneโs words or behaviour show theyโre struggling, and we dismiss them just because their pain makes us uncomfortable, we might miss the moment when they most need someone to listen.
You cannot always see psychological distress from the outside. A person can laugh with you, work, socialise, make plans, carry on with their day, and appear perfectly fine while struggling with thoughts they have told no one about. Some may even be the person everyone describes as cheerful.
That is part of what makes suicidal distress so difficult to recognise. We often expect someone who is struggling to look broken and sad, but when they don't, we assume nothing serious is happening.
A person can be functioning and still be struggling.
Saying โI am fineโ when asked how you are is almost a default answer everyone gives. Sometimes people respond that way because they donโt have words for whatโs going on inside. Or because making a joke about it hurts less than saying it straight.
That does not mean every cheerful person is secretly suicidal, or that every joke about death is a warning sign. It means we should be careful about assuming that distress always looks the way we expect it to. Sometimes, the person who looks fine is simply the person who has mastered the art of looking fine.
If we cannot always recognise distress by appearance, we need to pay closer attention to what people say and do instead of dismissing them.
If youโre in that place right now, I hear you.
You constantly battle with the voice in your head. You struggle with an urge that can feel impossible to resist. You smile at others, but somehow inside, you are tormented and exhausted from holding it together.
You donโt feel the love around you.
Everyone else seems to be moving towards something, while you feel empty.
And every day, the weight gets heavier.
You do not have to wait until it gets worse. Please tell someone. A close friend, a family member, a doctor, or a crisis line in your country. You do not have to carry this alone. And it's okay not to have the right words to ask for help. Just speak.
So what happens when we dismiss the way someone asks for help because we don't like how they ask for it?
They may withdraw because they don't feel heard, seen, or understood. And when someone is already struggling with suicidal thoughts, being dismissed can make it harder to seek help.
According to the WHO, more than 720,000 people die by suicide every year, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15โ29-year-olds globally. Many suicides happen impulsively during moments of crisis.
Yet suicide is preventable.
That is why, when someone's words or behaviour concern you, don't beat around the bush. Ask directly:
โAre you thinking about suicide?โ
It feels scary to ask. But asking does not give them the idea. In fact, talking openly often helps. It can ease the pressure and show them someone is really listening.
Give them your full attention without judgement. Acknowledge their pain. Avoid arguing or minimising what they are experiencing.
Maybe we need to change the question.
This year's World Suicide Prevention Day theme is โChanging the Narrative on Suicideโ, with the call to action: โStart the Conversation.โ WHO's message is not simply about talking more. It is about challenging the myths, stigma, and misunderstandings that can stop people from speaking or seeking help.
Perhaps that change can begin with something simple: rethinking how we speak to people, and how fast we dismiss them.
Before we call someone dramatic, difficult, or attention-seeking, we can pause and ask what might be underneath it.
Because sometimes, attention is not the problem.
Sometimes, being noticed is the first step towards being heard.
And sometimes, the question that matters most is not:
โWhy are they seeking so much attention?โ
It is:
โWhat are they trying to communicate?โ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐?๐ฆ
A mosquito bites someone with HIV, then bites youโฆ
So what next?
Many people believe mosquitoes can spread HIV from one person to another.
๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐.
Mosquitoes transmit several diseases, but HIV isn't one of them.
HIV spreads when certain body fluids from a person with HIV enter another person's body. These include blood, semen, pre-cum, vaginal fluids, rectal fluids and breast milk.
It's mainly transmitted through sex, sharing needles or other injection equipment, and in some cases from parent to child during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.
๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ, ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฌ.
Knowing how HIV is actually transmitted helps us protect ourselves based on facts, rather than fear.
But wait...
If a mosquito drinks blood from someone with HIV, isn't that blood still inside it?
And when it bites you, doesn't it inject it into you?
Here's what actually happens.
A mosquito doesn't inject the blood of the last person it bit into its next victim.
Its mouthparts have separate channels for sucking blood and releasing saliva.
When she bites, she draws your blood through one channel and injects saliva through another.
The saliva helps keep your blood flowing so she can feed.
So no, she's not injecting someone else's blood into you. She's injecting her saliva.
๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐.
There's another problem for HIV: a mosquito simply isn't the right environment for it to multiply.
HIV is a little picky. It needs specific human immune cells to make more copies of itself. Mosquitoes don't have those cells.
So the virus can't infect mosquitoes.
Instead, once HIV gets into a mosquito, it is broken down and digested in its stomach.
Scientists have found no evidence that mosquitoes transmit HIV to humans, even in places where both mosquitoes and HIV are common.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก?
HIV needs the right human cells to multiply. A mosquito simply doesn't have what it needs.
๐๐จ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐.
And that's one less health myth to worry about.
What's a health myth you believed for years before finding out it wasn't true?
#HealthWriting #PublicHealth #Research #Healthcare #ContentWriting #HealthEducation #MedicalWriting #HealthCommunication #Contra ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ? ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ
I wrote this research-based article to explain why more young people are developing type 2 diabetes.
The article covers what the research says about the causes, who is most affected, why the condition is a growing concern, and what can be done about it.
I turned complex health research into clear, easy-to-understand information for a general audience.
Link to the article. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bQRRsU4y4YovvNHfiGeCs6j3JxcmrbH2/view?usp=drivesdk)
๐๐ญ ๐๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ง โ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐งโ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐โ
Type 2 diabetes was once considered mainly a disease of adulthood.
That narrative is changing.
More children, teenagers, and young adults are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a condition that was once much less common in these age groups.
In the United States, the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study found that the incidence of type 2 diabetes among 10-to-19-year-olds nearly doubled between 2002โ2003 and 2017โ2018, rising from 9.0 to 17.9 cases per 100,000 young people.
So, what is changing?
The answer isn't as simple as saying young people are eating too much sugar or not exercising enough. Type 2 diabetes develops through a combination of factors, including insulin resistance, obesity, genetics, sleep, stress, physical activity, and the environments in which people live and make health choices.
To understand why more young people are getting this condition, we first need to understand what happens inside the body.
๐
๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ, ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฒ๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ?
When you eat, your body breaks down much of the food into sugar (glucose) and releases it into your bloodstream. Your pancreas then releases insulin, a hormone that helps move the sugar in your blood into your cells, where it can be used for energy.
In type 2 diabetes, that system starts to struggle.
Your body develops insulin resistance, meaning your cells don't respond to insulin as well as they should. At first, your pancreas tries to make more insulin to keep your blood sugar under control. But over time, it may not be able to make enough to keep up, causing sugar to build up in your bloodstream.
For young people, there is another piece to the story: puberty.
During puberty, hormonal changes make the body temporarily more resistant to insulin. In most young people, the pancreas can make more insulin to compensate and keep blood sugar under control. But in those who already have risk factors such as obesity or a family history of diabetes, the pancreas may not be able to keep up with the body's increased need for insulin. This can contribute to prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, or make existing diabetes harder to control.
That is one reason youth-onset type 2 diabetes is more complicated than simply saying, โSomeone ate too much sugar.โ
๐๐จ, ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ?
๐. ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฅ๐
Obesity is one of the strongest risk factors for insulin resistance, especially in young people.
When a young person has obesity, their body has excess fat, particularly around the abdomen and in organs such as the liver and pancreas. These fat cells can become stressed and release substances, including excess fatty acids, that interfere with how insulin works. This makes it harder for the body to move sugar from the blood into cells.
As a result, young people with obesity can have much higher fasting insulin levels than their peers without obesity, showing that their bodies may need to produce more insulin just to keep blood sugar within a normal range. Research also shows that young people with obesity tend to be more insulin-resistant throughout puberty.
Not everyone with obesity will develop the condition.
๐. ๐๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐
๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ
Genetics also influences who develops type 2 diabetes.
Some people inherit genetic changes that affect how much insulin their body produces or how well it uses insulin. This can make them more likely to develop the disease, and at a younger age.
Family history matters too. A young person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes is about 2โ3 times higher if a parent or sibling has the condition. The risk is even higher when both parents have it.
๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ
What people eat or how active they are isn't always about personal choice.
Sometimes, the environment around us shapes our decisions.
Cheap, heavily marketed processed foods and sugary drinks are everywhere, while healthier foods can be more expensive or harder to access. This can make healthy living more difficult.
Many teens are also getting less physical activity, walking less and spending more time on screens. They may also get too little sleep and face high levels of stress, anxiety, or depression, which can affect eating patterns and metabolic health.
Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic made many of these challenges worse.
So we shouldn't look only at individual choices. We also need to look at the conditions that influence those choices.
๐. ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ก: ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ
If a mother has diabetes or obesity during pregnancy, her child has a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes at a young age.
High blood sugar in the womb can affect the baby's developing metabolism and increase their risk of insulin resistance and obesity later in life.
As more women enter pregnancy with obesity or diabetes, more children may be born with factors that put them at higher risk.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
Some groups are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, sometimes at lower body weights. This includes some racial and ethnic groups.
Poverty, food insecurity, unsafe neighbourhoods, limited access to healthcare, and discrimination can also increase risk. They affect what people eat, how active they are, their stress levels, and whether they can get the care they need.
In the United States, SEARCH data found that youth type 2 diabetes increased particularly quickly among non-Hispanic Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian youth.
So this isn't just about individual choices. Where people live, what they can afford, and the care they can access can also affect their risk.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก-๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฒ๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
When young people get type 2 diabetes, their bodies may lose the ability to produce enough insulin more quickly. The disease can also be more aggressive in young people than in older adults, with complications affecting the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart appearing earlier and progressing faster.
And because these young people have more years ahead of them, they may spend much longer living with the disease and its complications.
That makes the rise in youth-onset type 2 diabetes more than a concern about blood sugar. It is a long-term public health problem.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ญ?
A healthy diet also plays an important role in preventing and managing type 2 diabetes. But preventing the disease in young people isn't just about telling them to eat better or exercise more.
Effective prevention needs both personal support and stronger policies. Families can support healthy food, physical activity, good sleep and stress management, while healthcare providers can identify young people at higher risk and offer support early.
At a wider level, we need healthier food systems, safe places to be active, protection from harmful food marketing and equitable access to healthcare.
Prevention can start even before a child is born and continue through pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence, with particular attention to those at higher risk.
The goal isn't to blame young people for developing type 2 diabetes. It is to create conditions that make it easier for them to stay healthy.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ
Type 2 diabetes isn't just for adults anymore.
More young people are developing it, and it's not only about personal choices. Family history, obesity, health before birth, and the environments young people grow up in all matter.
If we want fewer young people to develop type 2 diabetes, we can't just tell them to โeat betterโ or โexercise more.โ We need to make healthy food and physical activity easier, identify those at risk early, and create healthier environments for young people to grow up in.
Preventing type 2 diabetes isn't just about helping people live longer.
It's about helping young people be healthier from the start.
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
1. CDC/SEARCH: Trends in Incidence of Youth-Onset Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, 2002โ2018
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10091237/
2. American Diabetes Association: Evaluation and Management of Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes
https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/41/12/2648/36602/Evaluation-and-Management-of-Youth-Onset-Type-2
3. Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes: Burden of Complications and Socioeconomic Cost
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10037371/
4. Rising Tide: The Global Surge of Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents Demands Action Now
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11099374/
5. Association Between Intrauterine Exposure to Maternal Diabetes and Obesity With Type 2 Diabetes in Youth
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2453655/
6. CDC MMWR: Trends in Incidence of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Among Youths, 2002โ2015
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6906a3.htm
7. Youth Physical Activity and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9394097/
8. NIDDK: Study Shows That Diabetes in Young People Under the Age of 20 Continues to Rise
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/news/archive/2023/study-shows-that-diabetes-young-people-under-age-20-continues-rise 
