IN SPAIN THERE ARE 29,000 CHILDREN WITH DIABETES, AND THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY IS ESSENTIAL

World Diabetes Day was established in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to inform society about this serious condition, its causes, symptoms, complications and treatments

This year's campaign is entitled "Family and Diabetes" and it is intended to raise awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family nucleus, as well as to promote the role of the family in the prevention and care of diabetes.

In our country there are 29,000 children with diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease that appears when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (hormone that regulates blood sugar), or when the body does not effectively use the insulin it produces.

According to the Diabetes Foundation, more than 425 million people have this disease, but WHO warns that only 50% are diagnosed. In Spain, it is estimated that there are 29,000 children under 15 with diabetes mellitus

He 85-90% of diabetes cases are type 2, and it occurs almost exclusively in adults, although recently there has been an increase in the number of cases of this type of diabetes among children.

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In our country, 95% of children and adolescents under 15 suffer from type 1 diabetes, registering an average of 1,100 new cases every year. The exact cause of this type of diabetes (also called insulin-dependent, juvenile or early childhood diabetes) is ignored, although it seems that it would be a mixture of genetic, autoimmune and environmental factors.

80% of type 2 diabetes can be prevented

This year's campaign puts the focus on the importance of prevention, as it is estimated that in 80% of cases, type 2 diabetes can be prevented with food, proper rest, physical exercise and control of overweight and obesity.

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That's why, since the family is so important instill in children healthy lifestyle habits which will constitute a strong defense, both against this disease, and against other future complications.

But also women should take care of ourselves during pregnancy, sleep well, control what we eat and eat a healthy and balanced diet. Otherwise, we will not only be putting our health at risk, but predisposing our baby to develop problems and other diseases in childhood, adolescence or adulthood.

The importance of an early diagnosis

But in addition to prevention, early diagnosis of the disease is very important, in order to find the most appropriate treatment and avoid complications. That is why it is essential to know how to recognize the symptoms, which in childhood they tend to be confusing and go unnoticed For a long time.

Not surprisingly, according to a study conducted by the Spanish Society of Pediatric Endocrinology (SEEP), half of children under 5 years and almost 70% of children under two years diagnosed with diabetes they already had ketoacidosis, which is a serious complication derived from the prolonged lack of insulin in the body.

Recall that among the risks of childhood diabetes is the damage it can cause to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves, until it causes chronic problems and causes premature death.

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Therefore, this year's "Family and Diabetes" campaign also focuses on the management, care and education of this disease, as it has been shown that Family support in diabetes care has a substantial effect in improving health outcomes for patients.