Diabetes

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic condition that concerns how energy in form of carbohydrates gets used and stored in your body by the major storage hormone insulin. With diabetes, one cannot either produce enough insulin, or cannot utilise it as they should. In children the by far most common form of diabetes is caused by an autoimmune destruction of the insulin producing cells (it is called Type 1 diabetes). Therefore the body cannot provide the insulin required to let glucose into the body cells and even though sugar levels are high in the blood stream the body is starving. This starvation gets the children into serious troubles. Insulin has to be provided (for now) via injections for the body to function correctly and the children to thrive optimally. Well controlled a Type 1 diabetic can achieve anything anyone else can achieve. There are world-class athletes, scientists, professionals in every arena that have Type 1 diabetes and are excelling in their respective fields.

My Experience

Another rotation I enjoyed during registrarship was paediatric endocrinology at Groote Schuur Hospital. In fact I had the good fortune of spending two rotations there. During that time I treated many complicated diabetics and those with other endocrine conditions. I learnt from brilliant consultants how to safely navigate difficult diabetic conditions such as Diabetic Ketoacidosis and how to treat newly diagnosed diabetics and adjust their management to have great glycemic control. I am currently preparing the establishment of a diabetic clinic for all childhood diabetics involving a diabetic sister, diabetic dietician, psychologist and paediatrician review in one setting.