Diabetes Information For Kids

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Having Diabetes means that you have a condition where your blood sugar, or glucose levels are too high. Glucose comes mainly from the digestion of starchy and sugary foods that you eat, as well as being produced by the liver. When you are diagnosed with Diabetes, it means that your pancreas has stopped functioning properly and is producing little or no insulin.

Insulin is used by your body to help glucose get from the food you eat, into your bodies cells where it is converted into energy. If your pancreas has stopped making insulin, glucose levels build up in the blood. If these levels get to high and remain unchecked it can do serious damage to your body.

The most common form of Diabetes in children is Type 1, also known as juvenile Diabetes. In Type 1 Diabetes the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. While the increase in childhood obesity has been blamed for the increase in Type II Diabetes, the causes of Type 1 Diabetes are not as clearly understood. Type 1 Diabetes is classified as an autoimmune disease, and research has suggested that there are both a genetic predisposition, and environmental factors involved as triggers to the onset of the disease.

The symptoms of Diabetes can vary in the severity and the speed at which they develop. Some common signs to look for are frequent urination and excessive thirst. When glucose levels build up, excess glucose is produced in the urine and this draws water from the body resulting in the above symptoms. As the body is unable to use the glucose from food for energy, it starts to use body fat as a source of energy resulting in tiredness and sudden weight loss. Other symptoms to look for are mood changes, for example restlessness and irritability, blurred vision or other changes in eyesight, excess hunger, oral or vaginal thrush and abdominal pain.

Once diagnosed, childhood Diabetes is usually managed by a regional specialist or hospital rather than your local GP. Keeping Diabetes under control usually means regular checks on blood glucose levels, so they can be adjusted and balanced out by daily insulin injections. In most cases of Type 1 Diabetes children will need insulin treatment for the rest of their life. This may only be in low doses to start with, but in all cases they will be provided with an individual insulin routine which has been planned specifically to suit them. Diet and exercise are also a very important part of controlling the long term effects of Diabetes. Your specialist will be able to help you with all aspects of your child’s lifestyle changes.

With all the help and information that is around today, having Diabetes does not mean that children cannot lead a normal life. The adjustments that need to be made can be easily incorporated into daily life and will soon become second nature.