Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases that is effecting young and old throughout the world. The incidence in children is rising at a constant pace. Hence, you should be aware of the steps that should be taken to overcome the disease so that there will not be lasting health issues in your kid. If you are able to identify the symptoms, you can consult the doctor so that necessary medication can be obtained.
Diabetes in young children
90% of the young people who suffer from diabetes belong to Type 1 category. The exact cause for diabetes is not properly understood. However, there certainly risk factors through the diabetes will spread from one generation to another generation. In this context, there are children who are being affected with diabetes at a very young age as well.
Until recent past, most of the diabetes cases in children belonged to type 1. However, in recent years, the number of children getting affected with type 2 diabetes is raising at a constant pace. The type 2 symptoms will develop very slowly. In the beginning, there may not be any symptoms at all. However, you will find these symptoms at a gradual pace.
Some of the symptoms of that are associated with type 2 are mentioned below:
- unexplained weight loss, increase in appetite levels and thirst, fatigue, dry mouth, frequent urination, heavy breathing, blurred vision, itchy skin and slow healing of sores.
- If you find one or more symptoms that are mentioned above, you should take medical attention without fail.
Impact of Type 2 diabetes
There will be very minor symptoms if there are type 2 diabetes symptoms. However, it might lead to serious health issues if they are not treated at appropriate times. The complications if not treated will lead to kidney failure, blindness, damage of nerves, heart disease and sudden death.
What are the treatment options?
If you kid is suffering from Type 2 diabetes, you should explore the treatment in consultation with the specialist. The child should visit the doctor in the first instance. The doctor wills cross-check the patient for overweight. The condition of diabetes or pre-diabetes will be assessed through blood samples. If a child has diabetes, it will difficult to figure out whether it belongs to type 1 or type 2.
If there is no clarity about type 1 or type 2 diabetes, the patient should get insulin shots. This is the established practice as suggested by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Lifestyle changes should take place along with medication if the type 2 diabetes is confirmed. If children are taking insulin, glucose monitoring should be done on regular basis. The glucose monitoring can be done by using the finger stick method or by using the glucose meter.
Prevention of Type 2 diabetes
The steps that are taken to treat the disease are recommended to be taken to prevent Type 2 diabetes. if you share the information with the doctor, the doctor will give correct suggestions. You should encourage your child to speak his or her health concerns with absolute freedom.
In order to implement the strategy in a better way, the entire family should make adjustments to the dieting formula so that the child will follow the diet without any issues. There will not be any mental impact on the child. If you cannot make changes overnight, the same can be done in a systematic way. As diabetes took some time to develop in the body, you should allow some time to suppress the same without any issues.
The activities that are enjoyed by your child should be increased. The time that is spent in watching television should be reduced. There will be peer pressure and changes in hormones during the teenage period will have profound impact on their health. Hence, you should understand the health condition of your child in a very careful way. You will get more ideas by speaking to a dietician or specialist so that right strategy can be implemented without fail. The child will remain healthy for very long period of time and you can certainly make the most of your time, effort and health.
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Add a Comment1 Comments
Hello aswatysaran,
Thank you for your article.
For the benefit of all our readers, type 1 diabetes in children, once referred to as juvenile diabetes, occurs because the child's pancreas does not produce adequate amounts of insulin. Though the exact cause remains unknown, scientists do know that in most people with type 1 diabetes the body's own immune system, which normally fights harmful bacteria and viruses, mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing (islet) cells in the pancreas.
Type 2 diabetes in children is a chronic condition that affects the way the child's body metabolizes sugar (glucose). The number of cases is on the rise and directly linked with the increased incidence of obesity among children.
Regards,
October 24, 2014 - 9:19amMaryann
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