KHUJAND, December 5, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Sughd medical authorities are serious concerned over increase in the number of diabetes cases among local children.

Director of the Sughd Endocrinology Center Alisher Nabiyev says 84 diabetes cases have been registered among local children to this day.  “Of them, 47 children are under the age of 14 and 37 others are teenagers,” said Nabiyev, “All of them are insulin-dependent diabetics.”

According to him, only some 40 percent of them inherited diabetes from their parents, while remaining 60 percent contracted the disease due their weak immune systems.

“We have enough insulin, which is provided by the Project HOPE free of charge,” said Nabiyev, “This year, 10,000 flasks of insulin have been distributed to children with diabetes.”  Type 1 diabetes is caused by insulin deficiency, and must be treated with regular injections of the hormone.