Childhood diabetes and the best ways to diagnose and manage the disease, were the subject of the latest instalment of the Grand Rounds Lecture Series at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q). The talk, entitled ‘Diabetes in Children: Causes, Classification and Management’ was delivered by Professor Khalid Hussain, Chief of Paediatric Endocrinology at Sidra Medicine.

Speaking before physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, Professor Hussain outlined the different types of diabetes in children, and explained how particular diagnoses can alter the treatment and management of the disease. He also spoke about research and the consequent understanding of childhood diabetes because of such initiative.

He reminded the audience of the basic symptoms of the condition. Diabetes, according to Professor Hussain, manifests itself through a defect in the body’s production of insulin,  leading to a higher concentration of glucose in the blood, or through a defect in the action of insulin – where the body does not produce insulin or becomes resistant to it.

Type 1 Diabetes, where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, is the most common among children. Type 2 Diabetes is more prevalent in adults, and manifests itself as insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is generally related to lifestyle and affects around 17% of people in Qatar; Type 1 is a complex autoimmune disease.

Along with these common variations, Professor Hussain also outlined other types of the condition including: neonatal, mitochondrial, syndromic and MODY (Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young). He described the most effective management of the various types and how accurate diagnosis of the specific variation affects the medication and control of the disease.

The lecture was accredited locally by the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP) and by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

For more information about the WCM-Q Grand Rounds Series, visit their website at qatar-weill.cornell.edu.