Diabetes Risks Can Be Lowered To 50 Percent Children

Illustration of parents and children with diabetes. (Freepic)

JAKARTA - Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels, which must be watched out for because it can have an impact on complications of disease. To be aware of this disease, knowing the factors that cause it is very important to be prevented.

A person can get diabetes caused by various factors, one that cannot be avoided is genetic factors. If parents already have a history of diabetes, children may have the same disease.

The factors that we cannot avoid, namely genetic factors or hereditary factors, a specialist in internal medicine at Eka Hospital Permata Hijau, Pandu Tridana Sakti, during a media meeting in Semanggi, Jakarta, recently.

Doctor Pandu explained that regarding the percentage of a child who can get diabetes with genetic factors. If a parent is diagnosed with diabetes over 50 years old, the child is at risk of developing diabetes 7.6 percent, and if a parent is diagnosed with diabetes under 50 years old, then the risk is doubled.

"For example, one of our parents has diabetes at the age of over 50, that's the risk of his child getting diabetes at 7.6 percent," he said.

"If one of his parents is diagnosed with diabetes under the age of 50, then the risk of his child suffering from diabetes has doubled, which is 14.3 percent," he added.

Then, if both parents have diabetes, the risk of children suffering from diabetes in the future can reach 50 percent.

"If both parents have diabetes, then the risk factor for their child is 50 percent," he continued.

Thus, it is reminded for those who have genetic factors affected by diabetes, especially at a young age to routinely carry out blood sugar tests. The genetic factors of diabetes can also be minimized by adopting a healthy lifestyle, starting from consuming balanced nutritious food, limiting sugar consumption, adequate rest, to exercising regularly.

Genetics do exist, but we can prevent genetics, we don't make them (diabetes) appear. The trick is to maintain a lifestyle," concluded Doctor Pandu.