The Bitter Truth About Childhood Diabetes

India is seeing an unhealthy rise in cases of the chronic disease affecting kids, but awareness and resources remain low. Know what's causing it and why you should be alarmed

- REYA DEB

In 2022, around 95,600 children below the age of 14 years in India were reported to have type-1 diabetes, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). This placed India at the top with the highest number of children with the chronic autoimmune disease in Southeast Asia.

A year later, things were no different. According to a study published in the American medical journal JAMA Network Open in 2023, India witnessed 27,580 cases of childhood diabetes and 5,390 deaths that year, suggesting a 39.4% increase in cases since 1990.

India is facing a public health crisis of gigantic proportions, with rising cases of diabetes—a chronic disease traditionally associated with adults—now affecting children. Yet awareness and resources remain low. "We're not just seeing more cases—we're facing a potential health crisis that could affect an entire generation," says Dr Saptarshi Bhattacharya, senior consultant, endocrinology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. "If we don't act now, the impact on families, healthcare systems, and the future health of our youth could be severe," he adds.

Dr Akanksha Parikh, consultant, paediatric endocrinology, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, attests to this fact. "A growing number of children are showing signs of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, which are precursors to diabetes," she adds.

Despite the growing prevalence of diabetes and childhood obesity in the country, Dr Parikh believes awareness remains low among the general public, even among urban populations. "Most parents associate diabetes with ageing genetics and rarely link it with lifestyle in children," he explains.

How much is too much?

While the recommended daily sugar limit for a child aged 2–7 years is around 20 gm or 5 teaspoons, paediatricians agree that children are usually consuming more than two times of that, to the tune of 50 gm of sugar or more on most weekdays.