Increasing number of children with diabetes

Increasing number of children and adolescents with diabetes

08/05/2013

According to the Leipzig University Hospital for Children and Adolescents, more and more children are affected by diabetes type 1 in this country: "The numbers are growing at a frequency of one to two percent per year," said the director of the clinic Prof. Wieland Kiess to the news agency "dpa ". In addition, according to the experts, the risk for minors to develop diabetes type 2 - the reason: overweight.

30,000 children and adolescents suffer from type 1 diabetes
According to that, there are currently about 30,000 children and adolescents in Germany who are suffering from the autoimmune diabetes type 1 disease „Juvenile diabetes“ known - suffer. Unlike the diabetes variant type 2, however, this is not related to wrong diet or overweight, but belongs to the so-called „Autoimmune diseases“, their cause is in the vast majority of cases an overreaction of the immune system against the body's own tissue, whereby the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas are attacked and destroyed. What exactly triggers this autoimmune reaction, for which there is still no precise explanation, but is often suspected from a professional point of view, a combination of environmental factors and genetic predisposition. For example, while genetic traits appear to play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, an affected parent does not automatically pass on the disease, because that happens only in a few cases and even if both parents are Type 1 diabetics the risk for the child „just“ at 20 to 40 percent. As a further cause of the emergence of type 1 diabetes therefore certain environmental influences are often suspected, such as early contact with cow's milk or virus infections, in which case in particular the so-called „enteroviruses“ to be suspected.

Cause of increase in diabetes cases still unexplained
However, according to Prof. Wieland Kiess, the experts still have no answer to the question as to why the number of children and adolescents with diabetes is steadily increasing, but more research is being done, for example at the University Hospital in Ulm, where the data of affected children and adolescents are available "More than 130 children's hospitals send their data to Ulm. The system is exemplary for the whole world," Kiess told dpa.

In addition to the growing number of type 1 diabetics, according to Kiess, there is also the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease leading to increased blood sugar levels and others. can lead to sequelae such as stroke, heart attack or retinal damage. Although the propensity to type 2 diabetes is genetically determined, it is mainly caused by obesity and physical inactivity, both of which promote so-called insulin resistance, which is considered one of the major causes of type 2 diabetes. According to Wieland Kiess, about 750,000 children and adolescents in this country would be considered as obese (obese) - although only one percent of obese adolescents are Type 2 diabetics, „but the risk of getting sick or becoming ill as an adult is significantly higher than with normal weight“, so the professor.

High numbers of obese children and adolescents require action
How long it takes for an adipose person to be affected by diabetes will, according to Kiess, depend on the genes, among other things. For example, it would have been shown in the United States that obese people with dark skin or Hispanic origin develop diabetes relatively quickly, whereas in Germany the development of the disease would take a little longer. Reason for this could possibly be the presumption of the professor „protective genes“ from which white Europeans would benefit. According to Kiess, there is an urgent need for action in view of the high number of obese children and adolescents - even though the number of those affected would not continue to increase at the moment, because the diabetes type 2 risk is significantly higher than that of normal weight, as is the risk for cardiovascular disease disease control. According to Kiess, there is, among other things, a close connection between obesity and social status. For example, in socially better-off families with a higher level of education, fewer children would be affected by obesity than in socially disadvantaged, uneducated families. Therefore, according to Kiess, especially in these families, education and preventive measures are important: „There must be more in the kindergartens, sports clubs and schools, so that poor children have a better chance of a healthy life.“

Six million diabetics in Germany
Six million people in Germany are affected by the widespread disease diabetes, according to the German Diabetes Society, which will be held once again this year „Diabetes Congress“ On Tuesday evening until Saturday researchers and physicians will also deal with the topic of diabetes in children and adolescents. (No)

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Picture: CFalk