Children Have Different Chronic Care Needs
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Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting an estimated 5 million children. The total number of new cases of children and adults with asthma has more than doubled in the past two decades (increasing from 7 million to 15 million). Children have the highest rates of asthma, and the number of pediatric cases increased by 92% over the past decade, especially among children from poor, urban, and minority communities.
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Traditionally, children have been at great risk for developing juvenile diabetes (Type I), a condition of childhood. Now, a growing number of young children are developing Type II diabetes, a disease more typically found in adults. This alarming growth is most likely related to increasing rates of obesity among children. Researchers estimate that between 8% and 45% of all children newly diagnosed with diabetes have Type II.
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About 8,600 children under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2001. Because of significant advances in therapy, 75% of these children will survive 5 years or more, an increase of almost 40% since the early 1960s. Despite its rarity, cancer is still the leading cause of disease-related death in children under 15. In 2001, about 1,500 children are projected to die from cancer.
