Diabetes in children on the rise

Trackback URL

Download PDF

Cases of diabetes in children are on the rise in the country and low birth weight and changing lifestyles may be a few of the contributing factors, said experts.

Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle could be linked with the increasing trend of diabetes among the younger populace, they went on to say that the rising figures of diabetes in children however could also be contributed by an increased availability of diagnostic facilities and an overall improvement in health awareness.

Statistics of BIRDEM Hospital, the lone specialised hospital in the country for the treatment of diabetic patients, show that out of 20,549 diabetic patients treated in the hospital between July 2006 and June 2007, 213 were children (aged below 18 years).

The figure was 193 from July 2001 to June 2002 and 92 from January to December 1998.

Between 1995 and 2007, a total of 1,973 children, mostly aged between 8 and 16, were diagnosed with diabetes.

Prof M Abu Sayeed of BIRDEM Hospital said urbanisation has been found to be associated with sedentary lifestyle, intake of higher calorie foods and stressful conditions that may contribute to the increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus (medical term for the disease).

The situation is not much different in rural areas and the prevalence of diabetes has increased significantly in the rural population of Bangladesh during the last few years, he added.

A study conducted in 2004 by Prof Sayeed and a few other experts in Chandra, a rural community 35 miles north of Dhaka city, found that the prevalence of diabetes among people below the age of 20 years was 6.8 percent, as opposed to 2.3 percent in 1999.

For many children, low birth weight and malnutrition could lead to diabetes, experts said adding that the children weighing less than 5 kilograms at birth are more prone to the disease.

The general population of the country lack the concept of diabetes in children and they are not aware of the symptoms of the disease either. For this reason, most guardians of young diabetic patients fail to seek medical attention at the early stage of the disease, they said.

Nazmun Nahar, child specialist at BIRDEM Hospital, said, “Most of the children with diabetes are brought in to the hospital in unconscious state after their conditions get complicated with Ketoasidosis complications. It is very difficult for physicians to save their lives at this stage.”

She said that the symptoms of diabetes in children are almost similar to that in adults — frequent urination, excessive feeling of thirst, recurrent infections and loss of weight, etc.

“But the symptoms are not the same for every child. So, parents of a child should be careful and have their child’s blood sugar tested if their child suffers from infections for a long period or delayed growth,” she said.

Uncontrolled diabetes can damage vital organs of the body such as the kidneys, the nervous system and can cause recurring infections as well as impediment to growth of a child, said the chid specialist.

Most people living in rural areas are not aware that children can also get the disease and most paediatric diabetic patients are brought to BIRDEM at their last stage, she said observing that only one specialised hospital to treat diabetic patients is not sufficient for the entire population of the country.

During a visit to the BIRDEM Hospital, this correspondent came across a 17-month-old boy named Siam who was brought to the hospital from a distant district after being diagnosed with diabetes.

Siam’s mother said even a few months ago, she could not imagine that such an infant could be diagnosed with diabetes.

She took her son to the sadar hospital after he fell unconscious suddenly. Prior to that, she noticed that Siam had been losing weight and had excessive thirst for water.

The doctors in the hospital treated the boy with saline for dehydration. As his condition deteriorated the mother brought him to the Dhaka Shishu Hospital and from there she took him to a private clinic. Doctors in the clinic finally diagnosed Siam with diabetes.

Around 4,40,000 children aged below 15 suffer from diabetes across the globe and 200 children worldwide are affected everyday with this non-communicable disease.

According to American Diabetes Association, 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, 6.2 million (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy. The cause of diabetes is both genetic and environmental, the experts said.

People in developing and underdeveloped countries are more susceptible to diabetes and 80 percent of total diabetes patients in the world are from these countries.

Lack of awareness, inadequate healthcare services and health education are some of the key reasons why people in developing countries such as Bangladesh suffer more from diabetes.

Major General (retd) Prof AR Khan of DAB National Council, said, “Since the treatment of diabetes is expensive and the expenses tend to increase alongside increased complexities, it is important to be serious about its prevention.”

Leave a Reply