Discovering that your child has diabetes can be a huge shock for any family. When looking at a child with diabetes, one would never know that something very unhealthy is going on. The symptoms are typically hard to spot and do not present themselves in a clear cut manner. While the symptoms are hard to spot, the devastation from the disease is very apparent. Diabetes can cause complications such as heart disease, nerve damage, amputations and even blindness. Making sure that the problem is identified quickly and correctly, can make all the difference in the quality of a child’s life.
Identifying the symptoms of childhood diabetes is difficult for a number of reasons. Many of the symptoms can be looked at as typical growing child behavior, even though they are a sign of something much worse. Children with diabetes deal with constant thirst and frequent urination. Low blood sugar levels cause children to frequently be thirsty, which leads to increased urination. Many parents see this as normal children’s behavior from being active or playing too hard. Another sign of diabetes in children is unexpected and quick weight loss. Parents usually look at this as being another part of aging.
More obvious signs that something is wrong include blurred vision, frequent infections, cuts that take longer than usual to heal and frequent tingling or numbness. Blurred vision is a sign of diabetes that children often times do not report. The vision problem is not always constant in children and therefore, sometimes is overlooked. Children are constantly finding bumps and cuts that pop up without explanation from playing too hard or being outside. It is important for parents to notice how long these cuts and bruises are present for. Taking too long to heal or go away is a sign of diabetes. Many children with diabetes suffer from random tingling and numbness in the feet, legs and hands.
These symptoms usually do not occur all at once. Instead, one or two symptoms will pop up sporadically. The test for diabetes is simple, quick and painless. Getting diagnosed quickly is the first step in treating and controlling diabetes. The earlier it is caught, the better the child is to control the disease throughout their life.
Juvenile Diabetes, or “Type 1 Diabetes” as it is more commonly called, is a disorder of one’s metabolism where the victim displays unusually high amounts of sugar in their bloodstream due to an insufficient amount of produced insulin by the pancreas. The following is a brief summary of some of the signs for early detection and treatment options that are available to children with this disease. First, it must be certain that a child does in fact have type 1 diabetes and in order to know this, two if the most common symptoms are sugar present in the urine and frequent urination. Now obviously, frequent trips to the bathroom are not always an accurate indication that a child has got a diabetic disorder, so here some more helpful hints for credibility.
Monitor the child’s daily habits and behavior on a regular basis and note if he or she appears to be in regular hydration. Also, keep a regular account of their weight. Often times frequent weight loss in a child can be a determining factor for Juvenile Diabetes. Listen to that child for signs as well such as a frequent complaint of hunger or exhaustion. Observe the child to find out if there are fluxing changes in temperament as well. A child exhibiting such symptoms will need immediate attention due to the severity of this disease. The simplest way to determine if a child truly is in need of serious medical attention for this condition is to confirm it by virtue of a blood test. That way any lingering doubt should be abandoned by the given results.
Other Health Issues Related to Juvenile Diabetes
In serious cases, there are several other medical issues that can stem from having a diabetic disorder such as Diabetic Retinopathy, which can eventually cause blindness. In the blood vessels, Diabetes can increase the risk of stroke, Peripheral Artery obstruction, and Heart Attack. Diabetes can also corrupt the nerves, causing foot ulcers, digestive disorders, and impotence in older patients, and finally for the kidneys, in severe cases of Diabetes can lead to kidney failure.
Treatment of Juvenile Diabetes
If there is the chance that a child should come down with a case of type 1 Diabetes all is not lost. There are several ways for a child to maintain a healthy lifestyle through the enforcing of a healthy diet, encouraging exercise and activity, and seeing that child gets the necessary amount of insulin as well as checking the child’s blood-glucose levels regularly. With an active lifestyle and a knowledge of the type 1 disorder, the experience does not have to be frightening for either child or parent.