Sky Post (11/11/2021)(In Chinese)
Type 2 diabetes in children has doubled in 20 years, with younger patients, and this is related to overall environmental changes
Diabetes patients are getting younger. Data shows that the incidence of diabetes among children and adolescents in Hong Kong continues to rise, and the number of patients with type 2 diabetes has nearly doubled in 20 years. Doctors point out that this is due to the overall environmental changes and believe that the situation is worrying. Parents of diabetic children say that they are exhausted when caring for them, and that medical expenses are high. Some organizations suggest that the government strengthen public education and consider providing financial support to reduce the burden on parents.
Since 2016, the Child Diabetes Association has funded and supported 12 pediatric departments under the Hospital Authority to collect local child diabetes data and establish the “Hong Kong Child Diabetes Register”. It was found that there were 533 children and adolescents with diabetes in Hong Kong between 1997 and 2007, and 889 between 2008 and 2017. Among them, the number of patients with type 2 diabetes increased from 198 to 391, nearly doubling, and the incidence rate per 100,000 people increased from 1.27 to 3.42.
Paediatrician Dr Cheung Pik-to analysed that data showed that the number of children with diabetes in Hong Kong continued to increase, which was a worrying situation. He said that the current upward trend in Hong Kong was consistent with the global situation. He believed that the increase in patients was not caused by genetic changes, but rather overall environmental factors, including studies that pointed to enterovirus or plasticisers in food. More research was needed in the future to track the health impacts on diabetic children.
Girl diagnosed with the disease at the age of three
Summer, 11 years old, is a Type 1 diabetes patient and is in Primary 6. Her father, Mr. Huang, said that after his daughter had a fever at the age of 3, her weight continued to drop by one-third. She described herself as “skin and bones” and drank a lot of water. She went to the toilet frequently. She consulted 5 doctors before being diagnosed. At first, she had to get up 3 times in the early morning to test her blood sugar. The related equipment cost at least more than 1,000 yuan per month. He even arranged for relatives to come to school at noon to inject insulin for his daughter, which was exhausting.
Summer She said that her classmates felt strange when she first injected drugs at school, but fortunately they understood later. Huang said that the school and teachers were not well-informed, which caused her daughter to encounter many problems at school. For example, she had to eat candy during class to maintain her blood sugar and go to the toilet, which caused her psychological pressure.
The chairperson of the Children’s Diabetes Association, Ms Cheng Fung-leung-kei, said that parents of sick children often face mental and financial burdens. She hopes that the government will provide long-term financial support to parents, provide assistance at the school level, and strengthen public education.
美術：鄧建威