Diabetic kids need extra care at school, say doctors

CHENNAI: When Divya, 11, requested her class teacher permission to use the restroom for the third time in an hour, the older woman warned her against playing the fool. Embarrassed, the child returned to her seat, helpless as she did not know how to explain she was a diabetic and so had drink water frequently. Divya is not alone. Several children who are Type-1 diabetics suffer in silence without proper support at school and among peers.
In Type-1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin to maintain blood sugar level. It is an auto-immune disorder where the body fights against itself and does not produce insulin. City diabetologists say the disease in on the rise among children, especially those in the 4-14 age group. Owing to the lack of awareness among patients and doctors, most cases are diagnosed when it is too late. While the incidence of the disease was only 5% in every 1 lakh population a decade ago, it is now 10.5%, says diabetologist Dr Ravi Kumar of Childs Trust Hospital. "Almost 80% of these cases get diagnosed late and get admitted to the ICU directly. These little patients should take insulin shots before every meal to ensure their sugar levels do not drop to dangerous levels."
Nine in 10 diabetic children are Type 1 or 'juvenile diabetics', said Dr Vijay Vishwanathan, chief diabetologist at M V Hospital for Diabetes in Royapuram. According to the International Diabetic Federation, 79,100 new cases of Type-1 diabetes are recorded in the world every year and there is an annual increase by 3%.
"Among all the Asian countries, India has the highest number of Type-1 diabetics and since the trigger is unknown, these patients are insulin dependent life long," he said. His clinic records 10 new cases every month. He warned that when children are thirsty excessively and pass urine frequently it is important for the parents to approach a doctor.
"Children with insulin dependent diabetes need extra care, especially at school. They need to drink water and urinate frequently so teachers should be made aware of their condition," he said. Teachers should be trained to handle situations like the child fainting or suddenly collapsing when blood sugar drops, he said.