Children with Diabetes

It is completely possible for a young child to develop this lifelong disease. One in every four to five hundred children are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes while Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adults over age 40-45.  Girls and boys are affected equally.  Type 1 diabetes may start at any age but there seem to be special susceptibility at three, six and twlve years.

Children with diabetes require that parents and babysitters  learn many new habits to ensure that the diabetes is under control. One is checking your child’s blood sugar levels throughout the day. This requires a drop of the child’s blood, and may need to be taken as often as six times per day. When a child’s blood sugar level gets too high, insulin shots may be necessary to prevent a hyperglycemic reaction. This gives the child the necessary agent to deliver the sugar to the cells. Doctors can show you how to accurately administer insulin shots to an infant.  At first may seem the most daunting part of managing your child's diabetes, but it quickly becomes a routine.

Unfortunately, there’s no known cause for Type 1 diabetes, and it occurs without warning. Signs that your toddler may be a Type 1 diabetic may include the child being uncommonly thirsty, urinating very often, irritability, poor feeding, high fevers, having an increased appetite and having a fruit-like odor to their breath. Diabetes can be diagnosed by heading to your local clinic, which can test your child’s blood sugar levels and see if there is a problem.

This is an affliction that occurs when the beta cells, located in the pancreas, are unable to properly produce the amount of insulin that the body needs. This insulin is used as a transport for getting the sugar that we eat to different cells in our body. These cells use the sugar as fuel, and without it, they cannot function properly. As a result, the sugar that we eat will not be used by the cells and will instead rest in the bloodstream. High blood sugar levels due to this can cause major complications, including nerve damage and increased risks of heart conditions and strokes.

In addition to supplying your child with insulin and monitoring their blood sugar levels, you need to take your toddler’s diet under careful scrutiny. Too much sugar in the diet can lead to a heightened blood sugar level, causing a need for more insulin. The key to keeping your child’s blood sugar levels at a reasonable rate is repetition. Try to feed your child the same foods at the same times of day so that you can get a good baseline for what your child’s blood sugar level can be. Also, it is important to ensure that the child is active, as light exercise can help strengthen the body’s insulin processes, as well as keeping them in shape. Unfortunately, diabetes is a problem that will stick with your child for life. It is important to show them as they grow up exactly what they should and shouldn’t do to keep their condition under wraps. Non-adherence to the needs of a diabetic child can lead to many problems later in life, including kidney damage, blindness, loss of limbs, or even death.

As a parent, you must recognize the particular psychological problems of your child.  Try not to be overanxious or perfectionist.  You should teach your child all about his illness, as soon as possible.  After a period of supervision, you may trust your child with self-administration of insulin.  He should be brought up as much like other children as possible.  You should encourage your child to do some exercise, however, when diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, exercise should be done after rather than before meals.  Some diabetics have become celebrities in the field of sports.