UAE: Children at risk of high blood pressure with pediatric diabetes on the rise
Within the UAE, the medical authorities are particularly perturbed by the increase in diabetes which is found in children and adolescents aged 17 and below, and is closely associated with hypertension in children as the trend of obesity seems to rise.
Statistics say that the number of kids below the age of 17 affected by Type 1 diabetes in the UAE is more than 24,000.
Medics and nutritionists, looking toward World Diabetes Day, November 14, drew attention to the common bad habits of the sedentary lifestyle, bad eating style and fast food addiction alongside with sugar overconsumption which contribute to the growing omnipresence of these diseases throughout the hospitals in the country, some even appearing among kids.
Dr Osama Elsayed Rezk Elassy, clinical assistant professor, consultant and head of the division, Centre for Pediatrics and Neonatology, Thumbay University Hospital, says: “Studies have shown a rise in obesity in childhood, which in turn is one of the biggest risk factors for diabetes and high blood pressure. It has been noted that overweight or obese children have a large chance of obtaining type 2 diabetes, which seeks to aggravate the pressure on the vessels and the heart leading to high pressure in the blood.”
“The link between diabetes and high blood pressure is rather straightforward. When a child grows up with insulin resistance, as is the case with a lot of obesity-related diabetes, the blood vessels are not as elastic as they should be. This leads to an increased propensity for hypertension, as the heart has to work too much in order to circulate blood around the body through such stiff and rigid arteries.”
According to the healthcare experts, Diabetes types 1 and 2 do not come from the same causes. In the case of type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system destroys the pancreas’ insulin-producing cells which results in insulin being produced in none. In type 2 diabetes, there is still a gradual reduction of the molecules produced and the body becomes resistant towards the insulin produced.
Diabetes types 1 and 2 have almost the same symptoms within the patients that include thirst pangs and unexplained weight reduction amongst other signs. Recognizing these signs and knowing treatment forms such as insulin therapy or lifestyle change must be observed.
Dr Amjad Mouhammad Haider, a pediatrician at the International Modern Hospital Dubai said, ‘The increasing incidence of diabetes-related hypertension in children is worrying in the UAE just like in other regions. There is growing precedence because of the nutrition and exercise habits in the parts of the world. The prevalence of diabetes in pediatrics increases the chances of the pediatrics suffering from hypertension though the two diseases are quite complicated and attributable to a number of factors’.
Dr Amjad Mouhammad predicts that the increase in cases of diabetes in children has close association with diet, exercise and genetic makeup. There has been an alarming rate of diabetic cases which has resulted in a call for more exercises, a balanced diet and managing weight problems in patients. This may help towards a healthier population.
Dr Kirthika Jeyaraman, a Consultant Endocrinology and Diabetes at Medcare Royal Speciality Hospital mentioned, “In this case, prevention is key. Parents ought to encourage their children to eat more vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein and to exert themselves more regularly.”
She also pointed towards reduction of screen time, outdoor physical activities, family involvement in prevention programmes where all were said to be positive contributing factors. “It is also important to do the routine screening of blood sugar and blood pressure amongst children at risk and those with a family background of diabetes and obesity. It is also very acceptable to do screening among children in schools and the parents do not see much controversy in this’’.
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