Results of a new study have revealed that more and more children are being prescribed drugs to treat obesity-related problems such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
The study of chronic medication use in children aged 5 to 19 revealed that the number of prescriptions issued for type 2 diabetes medications more than doubled between 2002 and 2005. In the same period the number of prescriptions for type 2 diabetes medications issued to girls aged 10 to 14 rose by 166%. The use of cholesterol-lowering and anti-hypertensive medications rose by 15% and 1.8%, respectively.
Study co-author Donna R. Halloran, an assistant professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, said that the increasing use of chronic medication is mainly due to the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. However, she adds that the study findings also show that more children are being diagnosed with chronic conditions, and that doctors are increasingly using medication to treat these conditions.
The study also revealed sharp rises in the use of drugs to treat asthma, and ADD/ADHD. The number of prescriptions issued for antidepressants rose by 6.8% in girls, however the number issued to boys fell by 4%.
Cox ER, Halloran DR, Homan SM, welliver S, Mager DE. Trends in the prevalence of chronic medication use in children: 2002-2005. Pediatrics. 2008;122(5):e1053.
