MANGALURU: Doctors here are detecting more cases of diabetes mellitus among youngsters in the age group of 18-30. Dr Shrinath Shetty, endocrinologist, KMC Hospital, said at least two people out of an average of 30 visiting the clinic every day are diabetic.
Dr Shetty said reasons for the increase in numbers are increased insulin resistance, stronger genetic factors and a sedentary lifestyle.“Earlier, people would get diabetes at the age of 50. These days, even those in the 20-30 age group are suffering from it. In recent days, we have seen patients as young as 8 and 12. Also, with the pandemic and children being exposed to more screen time, many have turned obese. Parents must ensure more physical activity like cycling as obesity raises the risk of other chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes,” he advised.
Dr Shetty said, “Most diabetes cases that we come across are type 2, an impairment in the way the body regulates and uses sugar (glucose) as a fuel. The symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, hunger, fatigue and blurred vision. Sometimes, there may be no symptoms. However, those suffering from type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes, are only 1-4%, depending on the age group. This is a condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin.”
“We are seeing a few patients who developed diabetes after Covid-19. There is definitely a rise in juvenile diabetes cases in six months, but not everyone has had a history of Covid,” he added.
Dr Sandeep Samethadka Nayak, internal medicine physician at New York Metropolitan Hospital, said the good thing about type-2 diabetes mellitus is that most patients can be managed just by low carbohydrate scientific food.
