Juvenile diabetes under-reported in Vietnam

The numbers of children suffering from diabetes in Vietnam are being under-reported, according to a Vietnamese medical health expert. In a statement that carried implications for statistics coming from the third world, Dr Nguyen Thi Hoan explained that many diabetic children simply go undiagnosed.
Dr Hoa, who is the chairperson of the Endocrine Department of the National Paediatrics Hospital, believes that most parents do not understand how to detect the early signs of the disease in children. Most young patients, Hoan said, would only find out what their condition was when they arrived in hospital suffering from complications. Hoan stated that “Parents should take their children to the hospital when they see manifestations of children of eating, drinking or urinating excessively, or losing weight.”
Obesity and excess body fat are growing rapidly all over the world, leaving millions of people in a pre-diabetic state. One knock-on effect of this is the increasing prevalence of both obesity and type 2 diabetes in children. The fact that numerous cases are currently undiagnosed indicates that the future will see a huge number of more diabetics, and far more children suffering from the disease.
Parents are urged to control their children’s diets, and to limit sweet, refined foods wherever possible.