Parents will usually assume their children are perfectly healthy until symptoms become apparent. Juvenile diabetes or type 1 diabetes is one of the most common conditions that do not present the usual symptoms that parents relate to being ill (such as a fever, pain, and some rashes).
Type 1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes mellitus is a condition wherein there in abnormally high sugar levels in the blood because the pancreas cannot create and secrete the appropriate amount of insulin to metabolize the glucose.
Under normal circumstances, the sugars that a person ingests from food are broken down further so that it can join the blood stream. Then, the pancreas releases insulin to break these sugars down so that can enter the body’s cells.
In juvenile diabetes, the pancreas fails to produce the right amount of insulin necessary to break the sugars down into cell-friendly particles. As a result, there is an accumulation of sugar in the blood. This later on gets excreted out of the body through urine. This means, the sugar that was taken in was not used by the body at all.
Recognizing diabetes early during childhood is crucial. Because of excessive amounts of sugar in the blood, diabetics are prone to complications that involve their heart, kidneys, nerves, eyes and other vital organs, especially as they grow old.
If one or both of the parents are known diabetics, then they must monitor their children’s sugar intake and reaction at all times for certain symptoms which may occur with juvenile diabetes. These symptoms include the three major symptoms of diabetes: polyuria (increased urination), polyphagia (increased hunger), and polydipsia (increased thirst).
Along with these cardinal symptoms, the child may also exhibit some unexplained weight loss, despite eating a well-balanced diet regularly. He or she may appear to be lethargic and may look weak and always tired, influencing his or her performance in school and sports. The child may be waking several times a night to urinate, or drink water. In advanced stages of the condition, he or she may complain of tingling and numbing sensations or blurred vision. Parents may notice a persistent and characteristic scent in the child’s breath – it is fruity. Sometimes, a child’s simple wounds may take several days to heal.
If your child has the three main symptoms as well as any of the mentioned symptoms, you must take him for a medical consultation right away. Expect the doctor to do a series of laboratory exams. To do this, he or she will have to take urine and blood samples from your child. The blood tests will determine the presence of blood glucose as well as the blood’s tolerance to sugar. Some common diabetes- specific blood tests include fasting blood sugar and the glycohemoglobin test. The urine sample will be examined for the presence of glucose particles and ketones. Ketones are the product of the metabolism of stored fats used as energy. Normally, the body would use glucose for energy, but in diabetes, glucose cannot enter the cells, thus is cannot be used, so the body has to tap into its fatty reserves, explaining the weight loss and ketone in the urine.
After a clear diagnosis has been made, a doctor will help the child and parents to cope by recommending diet and weight management, exercise and insulin administration.
