Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Diabetes is a disease that not only affects the elderly, but also those who are young. This condition can even affect children.
The disease, also known as ‘diabetes’, develops when the pancreas that produces the hormone insulin doesn’t work properly, or when the body doesn’t use insulin properly.
There are different types of diabetes, but the most common in children is type 1 diabetes. This type of diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.
Recently, the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) said that in 2023, cases of diabetes in children would increase by 70 times since 2010. Head of the IDAI Endocrinology Coordination Work Unit Muhammad Faizi said cases of diabetes in children could be even higher than currently recorded.
Currently, IDAI data records that there are around 1,645 children in Indonesia who have diabetes. The recorded data comes from 15 cities in Indonesia. Starting from Jakarta, Surabaya, Palembang, to Medan. Of these, most reports came from Jakarta and Surabaya.
“This number has increased 70 times from data in 2010,” said Faizi in an IDAI online press conference, Wednesday (1/2). However, Faizi did not disclose the data on children with diabetes in 2010.
In addition, diabetes was also found to affect girls (59%) more than boys.
Meanwhile, in terms of age, Faizi noted that pediatric diabetes patients are generally 10-14 years old. The amount, about 46 percent of the total reported figures. While children aged 5-9 percent were found to contribute to 31.5 percent of all cases.
“There are also toddlers. Those aged 0-4 years have diabetes. From our records, there are around 19 percent,” he said.
Faizi said the high rate of childhood diabetes was due to an uncontrolled lifestyle. For this reason, it is important that parents pay more attention to the lifestyle and diet of their children.
Symptoms of diabetes in children
Signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children usually develop quickly and include the following:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination, possibly wetting the toilet in a toilet trained child
- Extreme hunger
- Unintentional weight loss
- Fatigue
- Irritability or changes in behavior
- Fruity breath
Can pediatric diabetes patients recover?
There is no cure for type 1 diabetes in children, but the condition can be managed.
Pediatric diabetes patients must undergo blood sugar management by changing their diet and lifestyle regularly.
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