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What is the cause of this sharp rise and what are the long-term effects of the diabetes these children have to face all their lives? Here is a list of common FAQs on diabetes in youngsters.
Diabetes manifesting in the younger generation is referred to as 'juvenile diabetes'.
This is caused by the inability of the body to produce insulin.
The pancreas is responsible for generating the hormone insulin, which is the hormone that burns the food we consume and breaks it down into energy.
It is when the body does not know to produce sufficient insulin or if it simply cannot the insulin already present, that diabetes surfaces.
How does juvenile diabetes manifest? Diabetes in youngsters usually appears in the form of Type 1 Diabetes.
More than 90 percent of children under the age of 16 suffer from this type of diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, where the body's cells themselves start attacking the other helpful cells, treating them like enemies.
This results in the destruction of tissues and vital organs, over a period of time.
As far as juvenile diabetes is concerned, the very cells that generate insulin in the pancreas are targeted and systematically destroyed.
How often does one get to see this type of disorder? There is nothing like a clear-cut proportion of the young population suffering from diabetes.
This rate differs from country to country and sometimes among different ethnic groups as well.
* The amount recorded in Scotland is about 25 per one hundred thousand children.
* In England and Wales, the number is 17 annually.
* In Finland, a survey revealed a number of 43 per hundred thousand children, whereas Japan recorded a low number of 3.
There has been as much as three times the number of cases of childhood diabetes in the last 3 decades.
While this tendency was there in the United States, Europe is now recording cases of juvenile diabetes too.
This emergence could probably be attributed to obesity and bad eating habits among children and teenagers.
Of course, Type 1 Diabetes is not really the result of obesity, so there remains to be a paradox in this respect.
What triggers this disorder during childhood? The actual trigger for juvenile diabetes is not yet known.
But research suggests that it might be due to the general environment and genetic make-up as well.
It is often seen that children who fall victims to diabetes do not have a family history of the disorder.
How is this treated? Fast-acting insulin is mostly given during daytime and the slow-acting variety in the night.
Insulin pumps are also used nowadays.
What can I do as a parent? * If your child suffers from diabetes, you should first understand about the disorder and work in sync with the doctor to help your child.
* Also learn to administer insulin injections and monitor blood glucose levels regularly.
* Know about diabetic acidosis and always keep glucose with you.
* Inform his school about his condition.
* Give the child a healthy balanced diet and keep a keen eye on his weight.
* Engage him in physical activity, so that he keeps fit in spite his disorder.
Diabetes in children, though more and more common today, can be handled effectively if we tackle it in time.
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