NewZNew (S A SNagar) : Fortis Hospital Mohali on Saturday organized ‘Memorable Moments with Little Masters’, a very special event for children suffering from Type 1 Diabetes on the eve of World Diabetes Day (November 14). Children who’re currently battling the disease put up spirited cultural performances, followed by an educational lecture by Dr Gagan Priya, Consultant – Endocrinology, Fortis Hospital Mohali and a talk by Dt Sonia Gandhi, Head – Dietetics, Fortis Hospital Mohali .

Interacting with many children who have Type 1 Diabetes and their parents, Dr Gagan Priya said with rising incidence of the disease, there was a need to spread awareness among the community so that early warning signs could be identified.

Talking about the alarming increase in numbers, Dr Gagan Priya said, “Prevalence of diabetes among children was 26.6 to 1,00,000 children living in urban areas in a study from North India (Karnal). India is home to an estimated number of 97,700 children with Type 1 Diabetes. While Type 1 Diabetes is more common among children, the incidence of Type 2 Diabetes is also on the rise due to increasing trends in childhood obesity.”

Explaining the disease, she added, “Type 1 Diabetes is caused by destruction of beta cells in pancreas which secrete insulin to maintain glucose and energy balance. This results is insulin deficiency and high blood glucose. Symptoms range from increased urine to bedwetting, excessive thirst, weight loss and lethargy. If the child complains of abdominal pain, vomiting or breathing difficulty, that signifies the production of ketone bodies (which cause acidosis), a potential medical emergency needing prompt treatment.”

The treatment for diabetes in children is with insulin therapy along with regular home monitoring of blood glucose. Usually, patients need 3-4 injections every day to maintain blood glucose control.

“There have been significant advances in insulin with more physiological and better insulin formulations now available. Earlier, insulin preparations needed to be taken 30 minutes before meals, which was inconvenient, and had a higher risk of causing low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) episodes,” the doctor said, adding, “Newer insulins can be taken immediately with meals and result in better glucose control.”

Allaying the fear that a lot of parents feel for their children with Type 1 Diabetes, the Fortis endocrinologist said, “The administration of insulin has also become much easier with the use of simple pen devices with finer needles for insulin delivery. Hence, using insulin is no longer considered a painful, cumbersome process. Most children learn to administer insulin and check blood glucose levels on their own.”

Talking about recent advances that have made patients’ lives easier, Dr Gagan Priya said, “More recently, we have started using Insulin Pumps, which deliver insulin as a continuous infusion, obviating the need for multiple daily pricks. This is a small device which the patient can carry in his pocket and it is connected via tubing to a subcutaneous cannula, which delivers insulin round the clock. Pumps also provide better control as the insulin rates can be adjusted as per patient needs. New pumps have the feature of a glucose sensor and can give an alarm if blood glucose is rising too high or falling too low, so that immediate action can be taken. In the future, we are looking at pumps which will be closed loops, which means they will be able to sense glucose and adjust insulin dose by themselves. These closed-loop pumps are undergoing phase 3 studies currently.”