Doctor urges parents with diabetes history to test kids

A pediatric endocrinologist on Wednesday urged parents with a family history of diabetes to have their children tested, saying they may also develop the condition.

During a forum of the Philippine Heart Association, Dr. Hana Lo recommended overweight or obese children with a family history of diabetes undergo a screening test.

“It is recommended to do the screening test. So ang ginagawa po nating screening test sa mga bata ay similar din po sa mga adult (So the screening test that we do for kids is similar for adults). Fasting blood sugar or ‘yung HbA1c or the average blood sugar level,” she said.

“And I urge the parents to be aware na ang diabetes can also [be] a disease sa mga obese kids, adolescents, in particular,” she added.

Lo advised parents to be aware of diabetes symptoms such as excessive thirst, excessive urination, a sudden drop in weight, as well as dark skin in body folds and creases or acanthosis nigricans.

According to Lo, the acanthosis nigricans show that the child already has an “increased risk for diabetes.”

“Very common po ‘yan. Sometimes hindi po natin pinapansin kala natin libag lang. Ang tawag po natin dyan is acanthosis nigricans and pinakacommon po 'yan makikita sa mga batok, sa may leeg, underarm,” she said.

(That is very common. Sometimes we don’t take note of it and we think it’s just grime. It’s called acanthosis nigricans and it is commonly seen around the nape, the neck, and the underarm.)

However, Lo stressed that obese children may also develop other conditions such as hypertension, coronary artery diseases, and fatty liver.

“So it’s best to get your physician’s advice sa mga anak po ninyo na overweight or obese regarding po sa mga things that we need to check,” she said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News