Signs Of Childhood Diabetes
Childhood diabetes is a disease that, over the years, has spread considerably, increasing from 5% to 10% in the world population, according to the World Health Organization. This is because the body stops producing an extremely important hormone called insulin, which even has to be replaced with special treatment.
At first, diabetes can be uncomfortable for the child because, depending on his age, he will have to learn to inject, know his blood sugar levels and count carbohydrates with a special machine.
Childhood diabetes requires constant attention, so today the control of insulin administration and blood sugar levels have improved greatly with technological advances, favoring those who suffer from this disease with better treatment.
Signs of childhood diabetes
Symptoms
Symptoms of diabetes in children usually show up quickly in just days or even a few weeks. Some of these symptoms can be:
- Greater urge to urinate. Large amounts of sugar accumulate in the child’s bloodstream, making the little one much more thirsty. This will cause increased fluid intake and the urge to go to the bathroom, so it is very likely that, if you are a young child, you could urinate the bed.
- Increased appetite With little insulin circulating to help move sugar, it is very likely that the organs and muscles run out of energy, causing a greater appetite in the body.
- Weightloss. One of the first symptoms of childhood diabetes is weight loss. Although this disease causes a greater appetite and the child eats more than usual, without the sugar necessary to produce energy, the muscle tissues will take up the body fat reserve.
- Fatigue or lack of energy. By the simple fact of not having enough sugar in the body, you will notice that the child will constantly feel tired.
- Behavior changes. Mood swings will be a constant problem; It is very common for your mood to go from very happy to being depressed or mostly angry.
- Fruity-smelling breath. The body, by burning fat instead of sugar, results in the creation of certain substances called ketone bodies, causing a fruity smell on the breath.
- Blindness or blurred vision: This disease is likely to cause blindness, because having high blood sugar levels can affect the crystalline fluid in the eyes.
- Candidiasis Specifically, girls with diabetes are very likely to suffer from genital candidiasis.
Causes
There is no precise cause of childhood diabetes, but in most cases of diabetes, the body’s immune system fights viruses and bacteria, destroying cells in the pancreas, which is the producer of insulin.
Insulin aims to transport sugar (glucose) through the bloodstream throughout the body. Generally, sugar enters the bloodstream when you eat food. By destroying the islets of the pancreas, the child produces little insulin, resulting in the accumulation of glucose throughout the bloodstream. This can cause life-threatening problems for your little one.
Prevention
Currently, there is no solution or cure to prevent type 1 childhood diabetes. Although there are many tests to determine if children have some antibodies that are related to this disease, the presence of these antibodies does not make diabetes inevitable. .
Scientists are constantly researching to prevent childhood diabetes in people who have a high chance of developing this disease. As for other scientists, they are focused on preventing islet cell destruction in people already diagnosed.
For now there is nothing that can be done when the child has been diagnosed with diabetes, but it can be helped in case a problem arises:
- Help maintain good blood sugar control.
- Teach the importance of having a healthy and balanced diet together with the practice of sport.
- Stipulate medical appointments to treat the child’s illness. Therefore, it is best to have an annual visit.
It is important to keep these symptoms in mind in order to be able to take precaution against any situation or problem of childhood diabetes disease.
