Child diabetes emergency hospital admissions cause concern

Over 3,300 are admitted to accident and emergency every year for a diabetes related complication, according to current statistics. In the 12 months running up to April 2009, according to Diabetes UK data, 3,345 under-18s were admitted for reasons relating to diabetes .
The children in the study were admitted for diabetic ketoacidosis, the lethal diabetes complication that recently killed Casey Johnson. Diabetic ketoacidosis, if left untreated, can cause diabetic coma which can be fatal.
The diabetes complication causes rapid breathing, vomiting and stomach pain. The youngsters admitted, some quarter of all emergency DK admissions, all had type 1 diabetes . Recent data indicates that the UK has the fourth highest level of type 1 diabetes amongst under-15s.
Chief executive of Diabetes UK, Douglas Smallwood, was reported as commenting: “It’s shocking to see such high numbers of children being rushed to A&E with this life-threatening complication. We know from our previous research that specialist diabetes staff report an increase in emergency hospital admissions whenever there are cuts in services.”