Farzana Rahman, 29, an engineer was diagnosed with pregnancy period diabetes; after giving birth, the baby was found to be suffering from spasms.
Farzana said: “My grandparents and mother has diabetes and from me the disease has passed on to my child.”
World Diabetes Day and is being observed in Bangladesh and 170 countries of the world on Thursday (Nov 14). The tag line this year is ‘Let’s keep families free of diabetes.’
According to WHO, just like elderly people, young, pregnant and even children are not outside the risk of diabetes.
Lack of exercise, aversion towards sports and not eating right lead to diabetes. Specialists say that to cope with diabetes, support from family is essential. Family members must ensure that all members check their blood sugar regularly.
Assistant professor of Green Life Medical College, Dr Tanzina Hossain, says: “We cannot wait for diabetes to be detected; and if someone has diabetes then the remedy is disciplined life: eating healthy balanced diet, walking at least 150 minutes every week, avoiding rich food and carbohydrates.”
The insulin taking has to be kept under monitoring and kidney, eyes and nerves should be checked every three months, said Dr Tanzina.
There has been a surge of pregnancy time diabetes and this is being monitored closely, she said, adding: “24 weeks after conceiving, every mother should test diabetes; if diabetes is found then the mother has to be given insulin and kept under monitoring.”
Though a new born may not develop diabetes, if the mother has the condition during pregnancy, there is high chance for the child to develop diabetes once s/he grows up, she said.
Diabetes is a genetic disease; if either a mother or a father has diabetes then the child has ten per cent possibility of developing the disease; if both parents have it then the chance rises to 60 per cent, which is deadly.
Dr Indrajit observes: “The most common or 95 per cent is type 2 diabetes which was usually noticed after the age of 40 in the past but now, even a ten year old child is showing signs of diabetes.”
Obesity, eating junk food, lack of exercise are the main reasons for children to develop diabetes, he said, adding: “This is an alarming scenario which is being found in Bangladesh too.”
“Of the new patients, more than 50 per cent are below the age of 30.”