More kids have chronic diseases

The rate of chronic disease among children has doubled in the past two decades: More than half of children ages 8 to 14 have had a long-term health problem at some point, such as obesity, asthma, a learning disability or other ailment, a study shows. Researchers studied 5,001 children from 1988 to 2006 and followed each child for six years, according to a paper in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Though the percentage of children with a current chronic disease rose to 25 percent in 2000-2006, the percentage of kids who had ever had a chronic illness grew to 52 percent in the same time.

Much of the increase in chronic diseases was a result of obesity, says author Jeanne Van Cleave of the MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston.

"You read these numbers, and you get really sad," says American Academy of Pediatrics spokeswoman Sandra Hassink, who wasn't involved in the new study. "It's a different picture of what most people think childhood is like."

Yet the study shows that many chronic problems can be prevented and treated, Van Cleave says. More than 70 percent of obese children later dropped out of the obese category.

The study doesn't reveal why chronic diseases are becoming more common. But Van Cleave says her findings may reflect the fact that doctors can now save many children who might once have died very young, such as those born prematurely or those who have cystic fibrosis or sickle-cell anemia. Although such children survive, they often face serious health problems. It's also possible that doctors and psychologists today are better at diagnosing problems.