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Up to 20 per cent of Bahrain's population could contract Type 2 diabetes as a result of obesity and bad food habits, with children most at risk, specialists at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) have revealed.
Type 2 diabetes is associated with lifestyle and differs from Type 1 which is a genetically pre-determined disorder.
Dr Jabber Al Abbasi head of the multi-speciality team at the Paediatric Endocrine and Diabetes Health Care team at SMC said: "Our research shows that 15 to 20 per cent of Bahrain's population could contract Type 2 diabetes. We have published papers in international journals that prove that lifestyle and environmental factors in the Gulf and Middle East make children prone to contracting the disease.
"Fifty per cent of the children who come here are already in their late stages and the rest have contracted diabetes because of bad food habits and obesity."
Specialists say that paediatric diabetes is rising at an alarming rate in the kingdom.
"Research reveals that eight in every 100,000 children were reported diabetic in 1993. Fifteen years later the figure has more than doubled and has gone up to 20 in every 100,000 children," said Dr Mansoor Rajab, a paediatric diabetologist and endocrinologist at SMC.
"Five years ago the paediatric diabetic ward would receive 10 to 15 cases of Type 1 or insulin deficient children, a number which has gone up to over 50 today. The reasons are multi-faceted - there is major change in the lifestyle and food habits and a reduction of physical activity."
He added: "Type 2 or insulin resistant diabetes is also growing as it is obesity related. Unfortunately we do not have thorough screening programmes in schools that can target overweight children with a high body mass index."
The Paediatric Endocrine and Diabetes Health Care Centre at SMC is the only one of its kind in Bahrain and is helping more than 1000 children suffering from diabetes to manage the disease.
The facility is free and open to all children in Bahrain.
On average the centre receives 300 outpatients every month, 102 walk-ins and over 171 calls.
The centre specialists get in touch with every diagnosed child brought to the hospital and begin the process of educating the child and his family to take control of the disease.
Dr Al Abbasi said: "Everything is normal about a child with diabetes. They are only missing one hormone - insulin, which can be delivered externally through injections, special pens and pumps.
"A diabetic child has to take regular insulin shots, in the morning and in the evening. He has to exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet. At the same time it does not mean that he cannot attend parties or occasionally eat fast food."
He also said that children must be aware of their bodies and learn to monitor and regulate their blood sugar levels for themselves.
"We want to make a child a defender," he explained, "and help him improve the quality of his life and delay complications arising out of the illness. Diabetes has to be managed at home and not at the hospital and we are trying to help every child to do so.
"Children always have to be aware and respond to issues such as very low or high glucose levels - conditions we call hypo and hyper glycaemia. It could be caused by simple mistakes made in mixing doses."
He said that teenagers may face emotional and psychologycal problems as a result of the disease.
"During adolescence many children go through further apprehensions. They go through feelings of denial, non-compliance, sense of imperfection and loss of freedom. We have had cases where children have destroyed their needles and syringes and require a lot of convincing to go back to their medications," said Dr Al Abbasi.
"They and their families face a lot of anxiety when they are first confronted with the situation.
"Everyone in the family has to make adjustments, accept and reconcile with the new problem. And most importantly they have to understand that they are not alone."
He also warned that if the disease is left untreated it could lead to serious health problems.
"Uncontrolled diabetes over a period of five years can cause a variety of complications to the kidney, blood vessels and even cause retinal detachment."
He said the key to fighting the disease was to raise awareness. Parents, teachers and the community as a whole has to be alert to identify the symptoms related to diabetes.
"Symptoms may be excessive urination, thirst, uncommon bedwetting and dehydration among children. We are doing our best to educate the school nurses and teachers to be alert and help in early detection. With the Bahrain Diabetes Society we are advising that students should be regularly screened at schools," he said.
The Paediatric Endocrine and Diabetes Health Care team at SMC works towards easing the anxities of young diabetics and their families, at the same time as providing excellent healthcare.
Sister Danah Ahmed, specialist nurse, said: "We suffer a stigma that this is a government hospital but our internationally-qualified team of seven specialists provide services that are similar to the best in the world."
The team, which includes dieticians and social workers, has been responsible for reducing the hospital stay for every new diabetic patient in their ward.
"We plan to discharge patients from day one," explained Sister Ahmed. "Nutritionists, nurses and doctors train the child and the family to be safe both at school and at home. We have developed a special form that is filled and provided to the school.
"Once the patient is discharged I am on call any time to answer any type of question or problem that arises with the patient."
The clinic is open for consultation through the working week. Appointments can be made by calling 17284040.
