Dr Amitabh Khanna
CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN & CARDIO-DIBETOLOGIST
PRESIDENT, DWARKA DIABETES ASSOCIATIONIf you are under the impression that diabetes is an old man’s disease, you are wrong. More and more children are falling prey to this lifestyle disease and doctors say it is best to screen children too. The theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day, being observed on Wednesday Nov 14, is ‘PROTECT OUR FUTURE’. “There has been an increase in the number of patients coming to clinics for diabetes screening in the last decade. The number of young people falling prey to the disease is also increasing,”
According to IDF, there are over 61 million patients of diabetes in India. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) says there are about a million children with Type I diabetes in India. sedentary lifestyle is to be blamed for it. “Our children are becoming obese. The prevalence of diabetes is on the increase because of increasing weight and lack of activity,”
There is an average increase of one to four percent in the incidence of Type I diabetes and four to six percent in the case of Type II diabetes over the past decade. we should motivate our children to lead a healthy lifestyle?” “If the child is drinking too much water, urinating more frequently than he used to, has gained weight, or feels hungry more frequently, it is a warning sign.” “Parents need to watch that children are not overweight. After the age of 10, regular screening should be done, especially if symptoms are noticed,”
The disease is more common among children in metros than in rural areas. “Children in urban centres, specially in a metropolis like Delhi, are more prone to diabetes, as the lifestyle is flawed and physical activity sometimes nil,”
