Diabetes among kids: Med students to be roped in

Ahmedabad: A city-based hospital has launched a initiative ‘Project Krishna’ to identify and manage Diabetes Type 1 among children.Dr Yash Patel, director of Swasthya Diabetes Care, said that the project is about medical students playing role of ‘sarathi’ (guide) for the children in their journey to live with diabetes. “Many complications due to Type 1 diabetes are preventable if the children are helped and guided carefully to manage the condition,” he said, adding that Gujarat adds about 7,000 new cases annually.Under the initiative, the medical students will be provided training to function as a personal mentor for children. Experts said that the condition is different than Type 2 diabetes caused by lifestyle. The Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where pancreas doesn’t produce adequate insulin to process sugar. Its symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, hunger and fatigue among others.