TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Many people think so diabetes adult disease. In fact, diabetes can also occur in children and adolescents, especially type 1 diabetes.
The study found that children who had been exposed to Covid-19 had a 2.66 times higher risk of getting it diabetes mellitus (DM). Doctor Adam Prabata on the Instagram account @adamprabata said the results of this study further emphasized the importance of preventing Covid-19 for children, including vaccination.
The increased risk of diabetes mellitus in children who have been exposed to Covid-19 can have long-term consequences. Citing the results of the Barrett 2022 study, prevention of Covid-19, including vaccination of children, is very important, especially to prevent long-term risks due to Covid-19.
Diabetes mellitus or diabetes in children is a metabolic disease that is chronic in nature and has the potential to interfere with the growth and development of children. People with diabetes experience an increase in blood sugar levels above normal due to disturbances in the insulin hormone produced by the pancreas gland. Diabetes that is left untreated can lead to various serious complications, ranging from visual disturbances, kidney failure, infections of the feet, to heart disease.
According to the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the typical clinical symptoms of diabetes in children are:
-Tend to eat a lot.
– Frequent urination, sometimes to bedwetting, accompanied by drastic weight loss (can be 6 kg in two months).
-often hungry
-Easy to get tired
-Fungal infection
-Wounds that are difficult to heal
-Blurred vision
-Skin that often feels itchy and dry.
– Feeling numb and often feel tingling in the legs.
According to IDAI, sometimes the above symptoms do not appear clearly. The diagnosis of diabetes in children was missed. This condition can cause children to experience DM emergencies. This condition can cause complaints such as:
-Stomach pain
-Hard to breathe
-Repeated vomiting
-Dehydration
-Loss of consciousness
If your child has any of the above symptoms, see or ask a doctor immediately for proper treatment or medical advice.
Diabetes itself is divided into two, namely type 1 and type 2 diabetes. According to IDAI, type 1 is caused by genetic factors. Meanwhile, type 2 diabetes is usually caused by an unhealthy lifestyle and obesity.
Citing the Indonesian Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) (2018), diabetes in children aged 0-18 years has increased by 700 percent over a period of 10 years. According to the Ministry of Health, in addition to genetic factors that cause type 1 diabetes, environmental factors, the immune system, and pancreatic cells, each of which has no known role in the process of type 1 diabetes, are also influenced by environmental factors.
What about type 2 diabetes? Type 2 diabetes can be triggered by an unhealthy lifestyle, such as excess body weight, obesity, lack of physical activity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and an unhealthy or unbalanced diet, and smoking.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), children have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if they are overweight or obese. In addition, the risk increases if you have a family history of diabetes or are not physically active.
Fortunately, type 2 diabetes can be prevented. The easiest way is of course implementing a healthy lifestyle. The following are suggestions to reduce the risk of DM in children:
-Ask them to maintain a healthy and ideal weight.
-Make sure to be physically active.
-Ask them to eat healthy food in small portions.
-Limit time viewing TV, computer, video or other devices.
Also read: Know the Different Types of Insulin for the Treatment of Diabetics
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