The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : High blood sugar levels in children

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 30, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

High blood sugar levels in children

R. Sujatha

Parents compounding problem: doctors

CHENNAI: Private clinics in Chennai and even in other towns of the State are today receiving more children with complaints of high blood sugar levels. The trend, doctors say, highlights the fact that few people are aware of the serious complications of untreated diabetes.

Parents compound the problem, as they are not role models for their children, say diabetologists.

Clinics in Chennai, and even enquiries in Coimbatore or Madurai, run by diabetologists with several decades of experience, now have child patients who need to learn to manage the problem all their life.

There has been a change in the profile of diabetics since 1980, when only people above 40 were diagnosed as diabetic. "Then we saw people below 30 and 20 with diabetes. Now, it is quite common to see children below 10 with diabetes," says A. Panneerselvam, Secretary of the southern chapter of Diabetes Association of India. In his clinic, 27 children are being treated for the problem.

At a clinic in Madurai, a diabetologist with a decade of experience treats 285 patients below the age of 18. At the Government-run hospital attached to the Madurai Medical College, 200 poor children, who are genetically disposed to the disease but with no family history, are undergoing treatment for type 1 diabetes. The children suffer from poor insulin secretion by the pancreas.

The same diabetologist treats 100 upper middle class children with type 2 diabetes, a problem brought on by external influences and heredity.

Village scenario worse

Diabetologist A.J. Asirvatham says in his clinic in Madurai, around 15 children may be obese while in the Government hospital it may be just two. Most children come when their blood sugar level is 400 or more and are given insulin drips or pumps. Diets are prescribed to suit their condition.

It is worse in villages where semi-literate, poor parents lose their children.

Tablets help

In a clinic in Coimbatore, a doctor has 11 children with inherited diabetes.

These children respond to tablets and do not need insulin. Eight of them reported with 300+ blood sugar.

Parents complain of poor performance and inability to concentrate on homework but they are to blame, doctor says. With both parents working, children are brought up on a diet of noodles and sandwiches for breakfast and fried rice for lunch.

Children eat at the school canteen and thrive on pizzas, cakes and aerated drinks.

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