DIABETES mellitus, a condition characterized by persistently high levels of sugar or glucose in the blood, can also occur in children and adolescents.
There are two most common diabetes conditions, namely type 1 diabetes which is related to the immune system and type 2 diabetes which is more related to lifestyle.
“In children, type 1 diabetes occurs even though they do not drink a lot of artificial sweeteners, or eat ordinary carbohydrates, they cannot metabolize carbohydrates, so they need insulin injections,” said the Chairman of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, quoted Friday (19/7).
Type 1 diabetes occurs because the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, resulting in low or no insulin production. Without insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. As a result, the body cannot use glucose to produce energy.
Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, occurs when the body’s cells become less responsive to insulin’s attempts to push glucose into the cells, a condition called insulin resistance. As a result, glucose begins to build up in the blood.
In people with insulin resistance, the pancreas responds to increased blood glucose levels by making extra insulin. As a result, the pancreas becomes exhausted as insulin resistance worsens.
Also read: Beware of Diabetes Mellitus in Children, Understand the Causes and How to Treat It
“In type 2 diabetes, one of the main factors is drinking a lot of drinks with artificial sweeteners, especially high fructose syrup. This is the syrup sugar that is widely used in soft drinks,” said the doctor who practices at the dr Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital in Jakarta.
He added that the habit of consuming foods with a high glycemic index such as processed foods can also cause hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels).
Piprim said that type 2 diabetes, which is more often caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, can still be improved according to its severity.
Also read: Be careful, recognize the symptoms of diabetes in children
According to him, early phase type 2 diabetes can be controlled by modifying lifestyle to be healthier.
“Exercise, regulate your diet, if you are a teenager you can do intermittent fasting. The point is, a healthy lifestyle can reverse diabetes in its early stages,” he said.
He said children who suffer from type 1 diabetes generally tend to be thin, while children who suffer from type 2 diabetes are usually fat or obese.
Also read: Diabetes Education is Important for the Community
“Almost 80% of children with type 2 diabetes are obese,” he said.
Piprim explained that there is an examination to determine the level of insulin production that can be done to check the diabetes status in children.
“There is a C-peptide test to check whether insulin is still being produced or not. So, a diabetic child’s C-peptide is negative, insulin is negative, meaning it is type 1. However, if the C-peptide is still positive, insulin is still there, it is type 2,” said Piprim.
Piprim said that children diagnosed with diabetes must immediately receive appropriate medical treatment.
He explained that children with type 1 diabetes need insulin therapy. The doctor will teach how to give the injection and the dosage.
Children with type 2 diabetes do not require insulin injections, but must undergo drastic lifestyle changes so that the condition does not become chronic and cause various complications.
Doctors recommend diet and exercise to control type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. (Ant/Z-1)
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