Study: standard diabetes treatment ineffective in teens - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Study: standard diabetes treatment ineffective in teens

A new study finds the number of teens with type 2 diabetes is on the rise.
But keeping the disease under control is not easy in that age group.

21-year-old Sara Chernov watches her weight after being diagnosed with type 2
diabetes at 16-years-old. "Definitely been a struggle, no doubt about it," she said.

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds the standard drug
treatment for type 2 diabetes, metformin, is not effective for teens. The
study involved nearly 700 overweight and obese teens recently diagnosed with
diabetes, including Sara, and found a combination of two drugs, Metformin and
Avandia was better at keeping diabetes in check.

"Treating diabetes in children and adolescents appears to require two drugs right off the bat," said the studies author, Dr. Robin Goland, a researcher with Columbia University Medical Center.

But the drug Avandia has been linked to heart disease and strokes. Doctors aren't sure why diabetes is so hard to control in younger patients but say hormonal changes may play a part.

A third of American kids and teens are now overweight or obese, putting them
at higher risk for type 2 diabetes and its complications.

"We want them to grow up and have healthy lives and not heart attacks and
strokes at young ages," Dr. Goland said.

Sarah  was managing her diabetes with just medication until about a month
ago -- now she needs insulin injections. "The insulin is helping me regulate my blood sugar even more," she said.

She's also  trying to make healthier choices to keep her diabetes under
control.

Bigad Shaban - CBS News