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Update Date: 2010/10/25 04:11
Reporter Zhong Lihua / Taipei Report
Type 1 diabetes, which commonly occurs in children and adolescents, is showing a trend toward affecting younger ages. Doctors recently treated three brothers from the same family, with the eldest developing the disease at 3 to 4 years old, while the twin brothers were diagnosed at just 10 months old. Although the cause of type 1 diabetes remains unknown, preliminary foreign research suggests that breastfeeding for more than six months may help reduce the risk of developing the disease.
Luo Fusong, chairman of the Taiwan Children’s Diabetes Care Association and attending physician in the pediatric endocrinology department at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, emphasized that the cause of type 1 diabetes is still unclear. However, a U.S. study involving 7,000 to 8,000 families with firstborn children diagnosed with diabetes analyzed dietary and environmental risk factors. It found that not being breastfed, early consumption of wheat-based foods, vitamin D deficiency, or infections such as Coxsackievirus or congenital rubella virus may trigger type 1 diabetes. Although these factors have not yet reached statistical significance, they are still considered highly "suspicious."
If a child exhibits symptoms such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, or sudden weight loss, it is best to seek medical examination. Luo Fusong stressed that early diagnosis of diabetes allows for better blood sugar control, delaying complications such as cataracts within 10 years or retinal microhemorrhages within 15 to 20 years.
In Taiwan, the incidence rate of type 1 diabetes is 1.5 per 100,000 for those under 40 and 3 to 5 per 100,000 for those under 10. Luo Fusong noted that internationally, there has been a trend of younger onset over the past 20 to 30 years, with a 3% to 5% annual increase in cases among children under 5. Although Taiwan lacks related studies, the average age of onset here is 7.5 years old, and Linkou Chang Gung alone has treated 80 to 90 cases in children under 5.
Although type 1 diabetes is not hereditary, the chance of a second child being born with the condition is about 3% to 6%. However, Luo Fusong mentioned a recent case of three brothers in one family all diagnosed with type 1 diabetes—the eldest at 3 to 4 years old and the twins at just 10 months old. This may be the first such case in Taiwan, and the parents had no family history of diabetes.
The Taiwan Children’s Diabetes Care Association held a parent-child event for patients yesterday afternoon at the Taipei Youth Activity Center. Ms. Lai, 29, shared her experience. She was diagnosed at 10 years old, developed retinopathy at 24, and began dialysis at 25. Due to the inconvenience of injections during her school years, she only administered insulin twice daily, leading to poor blood sugar control. Now, with four daily injections and proper self-management, her condition has stabilized.
http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 101025/ 78/ 2flri. html
Reduce Type 1 Diabetes Risk: More Breastmilk, Delay Wheat Cereal
Reporter Zhong Lihua / Taipei Report
Type 1 diabetes, which commonly occurs in children and adolescents, is showing a trend toward affecting younger ages. Doctors recently treated three brothers from the same family, with the eldest developing the disease at 3 to 4 years old, while the twin brothers were diagnosed at just 10 months old. Although the cause of type 1 diabetes remains unknown, preliminary foreign research suggests that breastfeeding for more than six months may help reduce the risk of developing the disease.
Luo Fusong, chairman of the Taiwan Children’s Diabetes Care Association and attending physician in the pediatric endocrinology department at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, emphasized that the cause of type 1 diabetes is still unclear. However, a U.S. study involving 7,000 to 8,000 families with firstborn children diagnosed with diabetes analyzed dietary and environmental risk factors. It found that not being breastfed, early consumption of wheat-based foods, vitamin D deficiency, or infections such as Coxsackievirus or congenital rubella virus may trigger type 1 diabetes. Although these factors have not yet reached statistical significance, they are still considered highly "suspicious."
If a child exhibits symptoms such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, or sudden weight loss, it is best to seek medical examination. Luo Fusong stressed that early diagnosis of diabetes allows for better blood sugar control, delaying complications such as cataracts within 10 years or retinal microhemorrhages within 15 to 20 years.
In Taiwan, the incidence rate of type 1 diabetes is 1.5 per 100,000 for those under 40 and 3 to 5 per 100,000 for those under 10. Luo Fusong noted that internationally, there has been a trend of younger onset over the past 20 to 30 years, with a 3% to 5% annual increase in cases among children under 5. Although Taiwan lacks related studies, the average age of onset here is 7.5 years old, and Linkou Chang Gung alone has treated 80 to 90 cases in children under 5.
Although type 1 diabetes is not hereditary, the chance of a second child being born with the condition is about 3% to 6%. However, Luo Fusong mentioned a recent case of three brothers in one family all diagnosed with type 1 diabetes—the eldest at 3 to 4 years old and the twins at just 10 months old. This may be the first such case in Taiwan, and the parents had no family history of diabetes.
The Taiwan Children’s Diabetes Care Association held a parent-child event for patients yesterday afternoon at the Taipei Youth Activity Center. Ms. Lai, 29, shared her experience. She was diagnosed at 10 years old, developed retinopathy at 24, and began dialysis at 25. Due to the inconvenience of injections during her school years, she only administered insulin twice daily, leading to poor blood sugar control. Now, with four daily injections and proper self-management, her condition has stabilized.
http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 101025/ 78/ 2flri. html