Diabetes in children
Diabetes affects the body’s ability to use insulin. Rates among children are on the rise.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are different diseases, but they both affect the body’s use of insulin.
Type 1 diabetes in children, previously called juvenile diabetes, occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin.
Without insulin, sugar cannot travel from the blood into the cells, and high blood sugar levels can result.
Treatment involves:
lifelong insulin use and blood sugar monitoring
diet and exercise management to help keep blood sugar levels within the target range
Type 1 often appears during childhood or adolescence, but it can start at any time.
Type 2 diabetes is less common in young children, but it can occur when insulin is not working properly. Without enough insulin, glucose can accumulate in the bloodstream.
People can often manage type 2 diabetes through:
a change in diet
more exercise
maintaining a healthy weight
Sometimes the person will need medication.
The chance of getting type 2 diabetes increases as people get older, but children can also develop it
In 2017, the National Institutes of Health reported that 208,000 children and teens under 20 years had a diagnosis of either type 1 or type 2 diabetes in the United States.
Each year, they say, the prevalence of type 1 increases by 1.8 percent and type 2 by 4.8 percent.
From 2011 to 2012, 17,900 people under the age of 20 years received a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, and 5,300 children aged 10 to 19 years received a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
Young people who develop diabetes have a higher risk of health challenges throughout their life.
Being able to recognize the signs and symptoms can help
Symptoms
Some symptoms are common to both types of diabetes.
Type 1
The most common symptoms of type 1 diabetes among children and adolescents include:
increased thirst and urination
hunger
weight loss
irritability
fruity smell on the breath
blurred vision
Girls might develop a yeast infection. Weight loss is often a common symptom before diagnosis.
Diabetes U.K. urge people to be aware of “4 Ts” in children:
Toilet: Using the bathroom frequently, infants having heavier diapers, or bedwetting after being dry for some time
Thirsty: Drinking more fluids than usual but being unable to quench thirst
Tired: Feeling more tired than usual
Thinner: Losing weight
Type 2
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
urinating more often, especially at night
increased thirst
tiredness
unexplained weight loss
itching around the genitals, possibly with a yeast infection
slow healing of cuts or wounds
blurred vision, as the eye’s lens becomes dry
Other signs of insulin resistance include:
dark, velvety patches of skin, called acanthosis nigricans
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children develop rapidly over a few weeks. Type 2 diabetes symptoms develop more slowly. It may take months or years to get diagnose.
Parents should take their child to the doctor if they notice any of the above symptoms.
May ALLAH protect all of us from these kind of diseases
