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‘GIVING”
a six-year-old a shot of insulin every morning is hard.
Putting her on a school bus afterward is even harder,”
says Mary Schuh, the mother of Sarah, who was diagnosed
with Type 1 diabetes. On schooldays, Mary entrusts her
daughter’s life to the staff of Beaver Creek Elementary
in Oregon. Before Sarah started first grade, nobody in
school knew much about diabetes. Now her teacher knows
exactly how many carbohydrates are in a cupcake, and
everyone from the principal to the lunch lady knows the
signs of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. The school
nurse has been trained to give shots of glucagon, a drug
that could save Sarah’s life if she ever slips into a
diabetic coma.
According to the American Diabetes Association, many
schools and day-care centers across the country ignore
the needs of children with diabetes. Some schools don’t
allow children to snack in class no matter how low their
blood sugar drops. During the sixth annual convention of
the Philippine Association of Diabetes Educators (Pade)
that was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel recently,
doctors, nurses, dieticians and other health-care
professionals shared the same aspirations in defeating
the silent epidemic of diabetes mellitus.
Today
diabetes affects more than 230 million people—almost 6
percent of the world’s adult population. The number of
people living with diabetes is expected to grow to 350
million in less than 20 years if action is not taken.
Diabetes is one of the major causes of premature death
worldwide. Every 10 seconds, a person dies from
diabetes-related causes.
In the
Philippines about 18 percent of Filipinos have diabetes.
“At least 500 cases every day are diagnosed and at least
one member in a family of 10 is diabetic,” says Dr.
Ricardo Fernando, founder and Adviser of Pade and
founder of the University of the East Institute for
Studies on Diabetes.
Sadly,
many families are not aware that they could have
children who are diabetic.
Diabetes
is classified as either Type 1 or Type 2. Diabetic
children usually have the former, which is also referred
to as juvenile diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes.
Type 1
diabetes is a condition wherein the pancreas can’t
produce insulin, which is needed to move sugar (glucose)
to the cells where it is used for “fuel.” Without
insulin, glucose remains in the blood stream, starving
out the cells and eventually the body. In an attempt to
get energy, the body breaks down fat, leaving behind a
toxic byproduct called ketones, which can lead to a
serious, life-threatening condition called ketoacidosis.
Additionally, instead of defending against infectious
agents, the body’s own immune system attacks healthy
cells that perform normal body functions. The exact
cause of Type 1 diabetes is unknown and children may
inherit it as a genetic condition. It generally appears
when they are very young or in their teenage years. It
seems to run in families, so if both parents are
diabetic, there’s a higher risk their children will also
develop the disease.
The
symptoms of Type 1 diabetes in children are frequent
urination, constant thirst, bedwetting, agitation or
excessive irritability, increased appetite, unexplained
weight loss, persistent infections, fatigue, sores that
are slow to heal and dry itchy skin.
Unfortunately, there’s no cure for Type 1 diabetes. It
is a chronic, lifelong disease requiring both intensive
self- and medical care. Without proper attention, the
disease can cause acute problems, which can be
immediately dangerous, life-threatening and have
long-term complications. The good news is that diabetes
is controllable, and current treatment methods have an
excellent success rate. By taking insulin, watching
blood sugar levels and getting regular exercise,
children with Type 1 diabetes can lead healthy and
active lives.
On the
other hand, Type 2 diabetes is manageable and even
preventable in some cases. In Type 2 diabetes, either
the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells
ignore whatever is produced.
Type 2
diabetes has the same symptoms as Type 1 with the
addition of increased hunger, blurry vision, frequent
infections of the skin, gums or bladder, and numbness or
tingling in the feet.
Diet and
exercise are especially crucial for anyone at high risk
for diabetes. It is essential for children not to fall
prey to obesity and inactivity. Aside from encouraging
their kids to be active, parents should remind their
children to go easy on sugar, which isn’t only found in
candy or desserts, but also in starchy foods like mashed
potatoes, pasta and rice (once ingested, carbohydrates
turn into sugar). Sugar is also used to liven up other
foods such as broccoli and bread.
As a
child gets older, some of these necessities can be hard
to adjust to. Teenagers, in particular, may become
impatient with caring for their disease, so managing
diabetes can be a tough balancing act. Parents need to
work with their children to keep diabetes under control,
and this requires both education and practice. Working
closely with both doctors and diabetes educators such as
Pade will help diabetes patients manage the disease.
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