Citizens receive leaflets on diabetes in Hanoi on the occasion of the World Diabetes Day November 14 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - The number of diabetes cases in Vietnam hasincreased over the past decade, with the disease growing especially quicklyamong young people, doctors are warning.
Type 1 diabetes has become a childhood health problem, said Dr Le Thanh Hai, Directorof the Central Pediatrics Hospital. About 40 to 50 children have beendiagnosed annually in recent years at the hospital, compared to only fiveto 20 patients per year previously, he said.
"It’s spreading like an epidemic," he said.
Type 1 diabetes in children is on the rise in developing countries, includingVietnam, in large part because millions of kids are overweight, don’t getenough exercise and eat too many sugary and fatty foods. The trend is thetragic side effect of increasing wealth and access to food choices, includingheavily processed items.
According to Dr Vu Chi Dung, head of the hospital’s Department ofEndocrinology-Metabolism-Genetics, many parents still do not think thatdiabetes can occur in children. They ignore symptoms, such as weightloss, frequent thirst and urination, Dung said.
As a result, "by thetime most children see a doctor, their condition is severe, and they sufferextreme fatigue, disorientation or comas," he said.
Unlike type 2 diabetes commonly seen in adults, type 1 diabetes in childrenprogresses rapidly.
Many people with pre-diabetes and diabetes are not diagnosed and treatedbecause they are not aware of their problems, doctors say. Diabetes isknown as a silent killer because it only makes its presence fully known once itis already severe.
According to Dung, it is not hard to prevent diabetes by maintaininga healthy lifestyle and diet.
"The best way to reduce the risk is to encourage children to exercisedaily in order to convert blood sugar into energy," he said.
According to the doctor the treatment of diabetes in children is more difficultthan in adults because kids do not have the sense of danger that guides adultsin prevention and control. This requires parents to pay special attentionto the care and protection of their children’s health. The disease greatlyaffects not only the physical health, but also the mental health and cognitionof the child.-VNA
VNA
