Charity Reveals Increase in Child Diabetes Complications

09 Feb 2010

The charity Diabetes UK has revealed that thousands of children are rushed to hospital every year with complications related to their diabetes.

In 2008/9 approximately 3,300 children in England were hospitalised with diabetic complications, many of which the charity believes could have been prevented by better care.

The children were suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is a result of blood sugar levels being too high. This can be caused by poor management or an undiagnosed condition.

The number of people admitted with DKA has been steadily increasing in recent years. Diabetes UK believes this may be due to late diagnosis, a failure to manage diabetes correctly and difficulty in accessing specialist care.

Lindsay Gibb, a clinical negligence solicitor in Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, said: “It is worrying that families are struggling to access specialist diabetes advice and care for a condition that is treatable but if left undiagnosed or is inappropriately managed can led to a life-threatening condition. The fact that approximately 13,000 people a year are admitted to hospital with DKA, and that over 3000 of these are vulnerable young children, is alarming.  The statistics show a rise in the number of admissions and suggest that lessons are not being learned and that better access to specialist diabetes care must become a priority.”

Ally Taft, a specialist clinical negligence solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, acted for a client who suffered a heart attack and consequent brain injury as a result of diabetes going undiagnosed at the age of 15. The hospital trust admitted liability and settled the claim out of court.

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