Due to the busy and unhealthy habits, lifestyle diseases like diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate, and its complications, which need no new introduction, eventually lead to life-threatening cardiovascular diseases. But the complications of diabetes cause more harm to other body organs too. With prolonged exposure to diabetes, patients are at increased risk for chronic complications like diabetic kidney disease or nephropathy, neuropathy, and diabetic retinopathy. One of the severe complications of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, which is the most common cause of vision loss across the globe.
Diabetic retinopathy, which affects the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the retina, depends largely on the duration of diabetes. Not just this, but as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of Americans with diabetic retinopathy is expected to be doubled by 2050, from 7.7 million to 14.6 million. Diabetes has become one of the biggest concerns for health experts across the planet, and equally concerning is the increasing rate of diabetes in children. The alarming prevalence of childhood type 1 and type 2 diabetes has resulted in a significant rise in the number of children at risk of vision loss. Looking at such scenarios, an understanding of the risk factors linked to the development of diabetic retinopathy among children is becoming increasingly important. So let’s take a look at it.
- Diabetes
High blood sugar levels are the main cause of developing diabetic retinopathy. Over time, if the amount of sugar in the blood is high then this can damage your retina.
- Genetics
Children who have a family history of diabetes are at higher risk of developing retinopathy. Studies have shown that heritability influence has been estimated to be as high as 27 percent for any diabetic retinopathy and 52 percent for proliferative diabetic retinopathy, which is an advanced stage of the condition.
- Obesity
Being overweight is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes among children. A less active child is more at risk of this type of diabetes, as the more fatty tissue a child has, the more resistant cells become to insulin, eventually leading to diabetic retinopathy.
- Medical conditions
If a child is suffering from any other medical conditions like blood pressure, high cholesterol level then there is a high risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.
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