The British Diabetic Association has expressed concern about the finding of a survey which indicates an unexpectedly high incidence of diabetes among children aged under 15 living in Northern Ireland. The study, funded by the BDA, places Northern Ireland second in the UK league table for the incidence of diabetes among children. Only Scotland has a higher rate.
The survey also found that children in affluent rural areas were more at risk than in the inner cities. The author of the six year study, Dr Chris Patterson, said one explanation might be that overcrowded households could encourage early infections to spread among children and this could help build up some kind of resistance to diabetes.