RTHK (10/11/2021)(In Chinese)
The Children’s Diabetes Association hopes the government will provide financial assistance to patients’ families to cover medical expenses
The Children’s Diabetes Association said that about 10% of the population in Hong Kong, or about 700,000 people, suffer from diabetes, and an average of 7 children are diagnosed with diabetes every month. If not properly treated, patients will be at a higher risk of developing serious or fatal complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, etc.
The association’s chairman, Cheng Fung-liang-chi, said that children with diabetes need careful care from their parents, and the medical expenses are also a heavy burden on the family. The cost of basic blood tests and insulin injections is between $1,200 and $1,500 per month. She hopes that the government can provide funding to the patients’ families.
Paediatrician Dr Cheung Pik-to said that according to the Hospital Authority’s “Hong Kong Childhood Diabetes Register”, the incidence of diabetes in children aged 15 or below has continued to rise over the past 20 years. The number of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes has increased from 335 children in 1997 to 2007 to 498 children in 2008 to 2017.
He pointed out that the number of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which has more complicated causes and treatment methods, has nearly doubled from 198 children to 391 children. The situation is worrying. Among type 2 diabetes patients, 37.9% also have fatty liver.
Endocrinologist and diabetes specialist Dr. Chen Nuo said that fatty liver is closely related to type 2 diabetes. If fatty liver can be detected early, type 2 diabetes can be prevented by improving eating habits, exercising, etc.