Diabetes is the most common disease of civilisation in the 21st century. More than half a billion people worldwide suffer from it. Approximately 5 per cent of this group has type 1 diabetes, commonly known as insulin-dependent diabetes. The disease is most often diagnosed in children and adolescents. It stays with them for life, determining and absorbing every moment of their lives. It requires constant and frequent glycaemic control (checking blood sugar levels), insulin administration with every meal and a 24-hour base. A child with a pen or insulin pump and a glucometer is already in virtually every school in Poland. Dr Marta Wysocka-Mincewicz, head of the diabetology department at the Children's Memorial Health Centre, talks about how the pandemic has affected the lives of diabetics and what we can do to ensure that future generations of children do not develop the disease.
- Patients with type 1 diabetes are increasing at the fastest rate of all those struggling with diabetes
- The disease is most commonly diagnosed among adolescents aged 12-15 years, but increasingly adults are also becoming ill
- - The pandemic has increased the incidence of patients with type 1 diabetes. Patients end up in hospital in worse general condition, says diabetologist
Aleksandra Myczkowska-Utrata, Słodziaki Foundation: What is the level of diabetes in Poland?
Dr Marta Wysocka-Mincewicz: Diabetes is now the third most common chronic disease of childhood. The incidence in Poland is about 20 per 100 000 people and is increasing by about 20 per cent per year! The fastest growing patients are those with type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes in the paediatric population is sporadic. However, with the growing obesity epidemic, this situation may change.
What percentage does type 1 account for in the total number of diabetes cases?
Type 1 diabetes accounts for only about 5 per cent of the total number of patients with diabetes. However, it is far more absorbing, demanding and long-lasting, with patients usually starting the disease as children or very young adults. It requires more healthcare, more patient focus, better education and preparation for independent living.
At what age is type 1 diabetes most commonly diagnosed? Has anything changed in this regard over the years?
The age group most commonly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is adolescents between 12 and 15 years of age. However, the incidence in the group of pre-school children is increasing at an enormous rate. More cases are seen in siblings and children of parents with type 1 diabetes and in young adults. The age of diagnosis of this type of diabetes in adults is also shifting. It used to be that patients over 35-40 years of age did not occur, and recently a patient over 45 years of age was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
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