The Rising Risk of Diabetes in Youth

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic and potentially life-threatening condition characterized by the body losing its ability to produce insulin or beginning to produce or use insulin less efficiently. Recently, almost all children and teenagers with Diabetes had Type 1, but now younger people are getting Type 2 Diabetes due to increasing rates of obesity and being overweight. Diabetes is becoming more common among youth. Young people who develop Diabetes have a higher risk of health challenges throughout their lives. In people diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes at a younger age, there may be more aggressive development of Diabetes complications, including Myocardial Infarction and Microalbuminuria.  Dr. Pradeep Gadge, leading Diabetologist, Gadge Diabetes Centre, sharesimportant facts about Diabetes in youngsters.

 Children and adolescents with Diabetes usually experience common symptoms, (polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss, blurred vision, etc.)  but many young adults or children will have only one or two symptoms. In some cases, they will show no signs of any symptoms. For this reason, they may not diagnose Diabetes at once. It is important to be aware of the possible signs and symptoms of Diabetes in order to get a diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. If the diagnosis is late and disease management is poor, it leads to people landing up with complications in a Hospital Emergency.

Uncontrolled Diabetes appears to progress faster in young people than in adults. Younger people also seem to have a higher chance of complications, such as kidney and eye disease, earlier in life, than people who get Diabetes at a later age. People believe that just because young people with Type-2 Diabetes don’t need insulin, it is less sinister than Type-1, but it’s not so. It’s not an aesthetic issue about weight or mild metabolic disease. It needs immediate attention and treatment, because complications are two to three times higher than for young people with Type-1 Diabetes.

More than two decades of rapid economic growth has changed Indians' lifestyles. People eat out more often and prefer Western-style junk food such as burgers and pizza over traditional lentil and vegetable meals. The changes have brought a sharp rise in obesity, along with lifestyle diseases such as Diabetes. They are also more sedentary, using cars and public transportation instead of walking or riding bicycles, and entertaining themselves with television.

Diabetes in children nearly always occurs with obesity, which may contribute to other higher-risk problems like blood pressure and high cholesterol/triglyceride levels. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommend testing for children aged over 10 years who do not have symptoms of Diabetes but who are overweight, if they have any two of the following risk factors:

• Family history of Type 2 Diabetes

• Signs of insulin resistance

• If the mother had Diabetes or Gestational Diabetes while pregnant with the child

• High-risk ethnicity.

Overweight children are at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, as they are more likely to have insulin resistance. Keeping physically active reduces insulin resistance. Eating a balanced diet by limiting refined and fried foods helps in maintaining a healthy weight. Change in lifestyle habits remains an important component in the management of Diabetes. Take steps during your young adult years to improve your overall health and well-being.

Book appointement: Dr. Pradeep Gadge, leading Diabetologist, Gadge Diabetes Centre