In their own hands: adolescents' refusal of medical treatment
Article Abstract:
When teenagers refuse life-saving or life-prolonging medical care, it can create serious moral and ethical problems for the doctor. In two cases of cancer and one of an impending third liver transplant, teenage patients ran away rather than face further treatment. Intercession by courts will often side with the teenager if the treatment has severe side effects or if the chance of success of returning the child to health or curing the disease is much below 100%. There are several ethical questions for doctors to ask, the first of which is who properly has the right to make the decision for or against treatment, and according to what standards.
Publication Name: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 1072-4710
Year: 1997
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The importance of a name
Article Abstract:
The case of a 16-year-old girl illustrates the difficulty of distinguishing between type 1 and type 2 diabetes in young people. She was admitted to a hospital with increased thirst, frequent urination and weight loss. These are classic signs of diabetes. She also had acidosis, a condition in which the body's fluids become acidic. Type 1 diabetes is one cause of acidosis, and the presence of ketones in her urine confirmed the diagnosis. However, she was extremely obese and required large doses of insulin, indicating that she had insulin resistance. This is characteristic of type 2 diabetes, which was the eventual diagnosis.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1999
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The Type 2 Family: A Setting for Development and Treatment of Adolescent Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Article Abstract:
Doctors who treat teenagers with type 2 diabetes should check all other family members as well. Type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes usually occurs in middle-aged people. Researchers studied 42 people from 11 families of teenagers with type 2 diabetes. Five mothers and four fathers had already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and three more fathers were diagnosed during the study. In three families, both parents had type 2 diabetes. Most of the families were obese and got very little exercise. They also had high-fat diets with little dietary fiber.
Publication Name: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 1072-4710
Year: 1999
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