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Introduction to the Yorkhill Diabetes Service
Rarely a day goes by now without at least one news report about diabetes. The frequency of this disorder is rising rapidly but most of the publicity goes to Type 2 diabetes which is associated with obesity and lack of exercise. However, although we are beginning to see young adolescents with early onset Type 2 diabetes, the vast majority of the children with diabetes in Scotland have Type 1 disease. This is a different condition and due to an 'auto-immune' process where the body attacks and kills the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. We still don't know the cause of this condition but affected individuals are 'genetically at risk' then have the condition triggered by environmental factors that are poorly understood. It is likely that certain common infections may have a role but several other proposals have been made and are being investigated.
In Yorkhill we have a very large children's clinic with well over 400 patients under the age of 15yrs. We pride ourselves on providing a multi-disciplinary approach with the team of doctors, nurses, dietitians, psychologists and social workers all of whom have a valuable role to play in supporting families to manage diabetes.
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