An Indian epidemic

Increasing number of children and adolescents in the country are developing diabetes. This will have lethal consequences

- TARAN DEOL

IN JANUARY this year, a 13-year-old girl from Chennai was referred to Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre. Doctors at the hospital found that she had severe, uncontrolled diabetes. She was put on a balanced diet and prescribed physical activity and medication. While the girl's diagnosis was incidental, discovered during an investigation for another condition, doctors are worried at the indication that diabetes is becoming increasingly common among younger populations in the country.

The disease is a dysfunction in the body's regulation of blood-sugar levels and comes in two varieties. Type 1 is rare and usually shows up early in life. In this autoimmune disease, the body attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that helps in the use of glucose for energy. Patients must administer insulin for up to four times a day. Type 2, which the 13-year-old girl was suffering from, is far more common in adults but tends to develop when the body cannot regulate its use of insulin or resists the hormone. Obesity and an inactive lifestyle are the most common causes of Type 2. It can usually be controlled with pills and lifestyle changes. Both types, if not treated well and in time, can cause complications like organ failure, blindness, strokes and heart attacks.