Diabetes is increasing in young people

Santo Domingo, DR.
Diabetes is increasingly being identified in young people and adolescents, related in many cases to obesity, warned yesterday the National Institute of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Nutrition (INDEN), who called on Dominican families to take more care of their diet.

The INDEN directors emphasized that the data on the incidence of diabetes in the country increased due to the COVID 19 pandemic due to the consequences that this pandemic brought about to the health of those who were infected.

Dr. Ammar Ibrahim, general director of INDEN; Rosa Fernandez, head of the Ophthalmology Department; Elizabeth Cuevas, coordinator of the Diabetology and Nutrition Residency; Yinette Read, head of Teaching and Adolfo Polanco, Nephrologist, spoke on the subject when they announced the details of the activities to be carried out to commemorate August as Diabetes Month, which this year coincides with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the institute.

They emphasized that it was precisely on this date that the fight against this condition began in the country, so activities will be aimed at education, prevention, management, and screening, directed at the population and doctors. Inden, they explained, carries out around 75,000 consultations annually.

They recalled that four years ago, Inden, together with the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), carried out a study of more than 10 thousand samples which resulted in 13.45% of the population suffering from diabetes and 9.3% had pre-diabetes, which indicates that it is present in 25% of the population.

They said that in daily practice, what they are seeing is that this percentage is increasing, especially with age, but in the last ten years, they have noticed type II diabetes in young people, which was not seen before in youngsters of 12, 13 and 14 years of age, directly related to obesity.

They pointed out that before, Type I diabetes was seen in children, but now Type II diabetes is increasing, which shows the need for families to watch their diets at home to avoid this condition in children.

They understand that in the country, sugar consumption should not continue to be a reward for children but should be part of a balanced diet and recommended not to lose heart in preventing and caring for diabetes.