2023-06-30 19:04:42
A threat called diabetes advances among our kids. the disease is increasing and two new studies reveal a worrying increase in diagnoses among children and adolescents under the age of 18. On the occasion of the annual appointment of ‘Theras Day for children’ and of the international appointment of the American Diabetes Association, the spotlights are turned on how to intervene for a better management of the disease also at a technological level and on the role of parents. The worrying result comes from two Italian studies that “assessed the incidence of type 1 diabetes over a 31-year period (from 1989 to 2019) in two Italian regions” and “compared it with that observed during the Covid pandemic -19 (2020-2021). The results of the study reveal a rather worrying fact”, explains Valentino Cherubini, author of the study, president-elect of the Italian Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology (Siedp) and director of Pediatric Diabetology at the Ospedali Riuniti of Ancona .
“In 2021 – reports the expert in a note – there was an increase of 7.2% compared to the expected results, which compared to the entire national territory correspond to about 100 more cases in the year. The percentage is also alarming of new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes in the last 10 years which, as confirmed by another international study that will be presented at the meeting of the American Diabetes Association in two weeks’ time, has increased by 9% for each two-year period compared to other diagnoses of diabetes in children These percentages follow the data from the American study which saw an increase of over 100 new cases of type 2 diabetes in one year, i.e. more than double the number of adolescents before Covid”.
Having a child with diabetes can be challenging and can signal significant changes in daily life, and a parent can contribute to these changes. Hence a series of habits suggested by Cherubini. “These are good rules that I often find myself suggesting to parents with children who have diabetes but which should be extended to all families with a view to prevention”, says the pediatrician.
Here are the tips for parents: Play the daily routine: discover the pleasure of having so many common appointments, starting with regular times for meals, clinical checks, exercise and sleep; Cook together: Have meals during the week where you cook together. It will be an opportunity to explain the value of some foods, the combinations and tricks to control sugar and much more; Exercise together Encourage them to be physically active for at least 30 minutes each day. Doing it together can be of great help to both of you; Broaden your horizons find out all you can about diabetes, keep up to date, seek out parents who live like you. You will better understand how to manage the disease and how to make it easier to manage; Encourage them to live positively, teach them not to exclude anything because of the disease and explain to them that there is a team of people and doctors who will always support them in their choices.
Of the 150 thousand Italians with type 1 diabetes – reports the note – there are about 15 thousand under 18 forced to manage a pathology that will accompany them in life. It is a number to be multiplied by the number of non-stop parents who have to take charge of the disease, especially concerned about what happens and will happen away from home (at school, during sports activities, at parties with friends). The technological evolution of very small and waterproof devices that can be used from an early age is proving to be a valid support for better management of diabetes: in fact, these devices allow, on the one hand, a continuous measurement of glucose levels and on the other the ‘insulin infusion.
“The blood sugar trend of a child with diabetes is very difficult to predict, but thanks to the latest technology of Cgm (Continuous Glucose Monitoring, i.e. continuous monitoring of glucose in real time) it is possible to have a very high and precise level of predictiveness The success of an always correct glucose measurement and the parallel use of a customizable insulin infusion – explains Stefano Zucchini, coordinator of the Siedp diabetes study group – also impacts on the health of the parent, reassured by being able to control his own child even remotely, without the need to intervene in person, sometimes hastily, to check blood sugar by pricking your child’s fingertip”.
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