Further update of the Diabetes Surveillance

Diabetes and its treatment in children and adolescents

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic metabolic diseases in childhood and adolescence, in which the immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas due to a misdirected reaction, resulting in an absolute insulin deficiency. Treatment with insulin is therefore absolutely essential. Around half of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes are treated with an insulin pump and around two thirds use continuous glucose monitoring to control their blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is characterized by a relative insulin deficiency, which often first occurs in adulthood due to unfavorable lifestyle factors. However, children and adolescents can also be affected. The existing time trends for 2022 were continued for the following indicators:

• Incidence of type 1 diabetes
• Prevalence of type 1 diabetes
• Incidence of type 2 diabetes
• Prevalence of type 2 diabetes
• Insulin pump therapy in type 1 diabetes
• Continuous glucose monitoring in type 1 diabetes

Contextual factors

Contextual-factors play an important role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. This refers to people's living, working and environmental conditions, but also to health policy measures that can influence the risk of type 2 diabetes in children, adolescents and adults. The time trends for most contextual factors have been updated for 2022:

• Food taxation
• Prevention expenditures
• Consumer Price Index
• Use of means of transport

In addition, the existing time trends for 2022 were continued for other indicators of the Diabetes Surveillance:

• Poverty risk rate
• Achievement of DMP quality assurance goals - type 1 diabetes
• Achievement of DMP quality assurance goals - type 2 diabetes