Depending on their age and level of maturity, children living with diabetes should be encouraged to take care of themselves. Most school-age children can recognize symptoms of hypoglycemia; if they are over 12 years old they may be able to take insulin injections of correct dosage by themselves. They can also be involved in planning their diet chart.

Treatment of diabetes in adolescents is complex and should only be handled by experienced physicians. Also, such patients should be looked after by a team consisting of a diabetologist, nutritionist, diabetes educator, and psychologist.

Educating people with diabetes about diet, exercise and drugs is the most important part of the initial management of the disease and should be accomplished in several sessions. Insulin management should be discussed and demonstrated to children and parents, so that they can take insulin injections themselves. Parents, along with their children, should be made aware of healthy eating habits, physical exercise, and dosage management of drugs/ insulin.

At a meeting in London, on October 25,IDF is bringing together key opinion leaders to push for action to secure care for the thousands of children with diabetes in developing countries without access to care. The meeting, ‘Access to Essential Diabetes Medicines for Children in the Developing World’ will focus on ways to help keep more children with diabetes alive and healthy. Ministries of Health from various developing countries, leaders from the pharmaceutical industry, philanthropic foundations, leading supply-chain management firms, diabetes associations, as well as professional societies in paediatrics and diabetes education have been invited to the meeting.

Close to 75,000 children in low-income and lower-middle income countries are living with diabetes in desperate circumstances. These children need life-saving insulin to survive. Even more children are in need of the monitoring equipment, test strips and education required to manage their diabetes in order to avoid the life-threatening complications associated with diabetes.

"We are bringing together the people and the organizations that can provide not only the interim humanitarian response to save lives but can lay the groundwork for sustainable solutions that will benefit all children with diabetes," said Dr Martin Silink, President of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Article Submitted by Amit Dwivedi

(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS).

Edited by Dr. Reeja Tharu – Medindia

Editor’s Note: World Diabetes Day–2008. The theme of World Diabetes Day is - Diabetes in Children and Adolescents. This year the ‘World Diabetes Day’ is to be celebrated on 14^th November Medindia is carrying a series of special report on this important topic. If any of the medindia member’s wish to contribute, please contact editors@medindia.net.

Source-Medindia