Pledge to turn off Diabetes in children

Pallavi Sharma

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas do not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels. The first UN session observed World Diabetes Day On December 20, 2006, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a landmark Resolution recognising diabetes as a chronic, debilitating and costly disease. The Resolution designates World Diabetes Day as a United Nations Day to be observed every year starting 2007. The UN Resolution makes World Diabetes Day stronger than ever and provides the opportunity for a significant increase in the visibility of the campaign and an increase in government and media participation on or around November 14. Diabetes in children and adolescents The theme of this year's World Diabetes Day campaign is ‘Diabetes in Children and Adolescents’. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. It can strike children at any age, including pre-school children and even toddlers. Yet diabetes in children is often diagnosed late, when the child has Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), or it is misdiagnosed completely. In many parts of the world, insulin, the main life-saving medication that children with diabetes need to survive, is not available (or is available but remains inaccessible for reasons of economy, geography or constraints on supply). As a consequence, many children die of diabetes, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Those closest to the child - family, school staff, family doctor - may not be aware of the ominous signs. The World Diabetes Day 2007 and 2008 campaigns set out to challenge this and firmly establish the message that ‘no child should die of diabetes'. Children are not spared from this global epidemic, with its debilitating and life-threatening complications. Type 1 Diabetes is growing by 3 per cent per year in children and adolescents, and at an alarming 5 per cent per year among pre-school children. Type 2 Diabetes was once seen as a disease of adults. Today, this type of diabetes too is growing at alarming rates in children and adolescents. Diabetes is different for children Diabetes has a unique impact on children and their families. The daily life of children is disrupted by the need to monitor blood glucose levels, take medication, and balance the effect of activity and food. Diabetes can interfere with the normal developmental tasks of childhood and adolescence, which include succeeding in school and transitioning to adulthood. To help the child and family cope with it, and to ensure the best possible physical and emotional health of the child, care should be delivered by a multi-disciplinary team with good knowledge of paediatric issues. Support must also be given to caregivers and to school personnel. In this way, children with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes can reach adulthood with as little adverse impact as possible on their well-being. For children with diabetes in developing countries the situation at present is bleak. The campaign The campaign aims to raise awareness of the rising prevalence of both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in children and adolescents. Early diagnosis and early education are crucial to reducing complications and saving lives. The healthcare community, educators, parents and guardians must join forces to help children living with diabetes, prevent the condition in those at risk, and avoid unnecessary death and disability.