Fat Camp Articles
Does Your Child Have Diabetes?
By Jane St. Clair
Jenny’s mother got the dreaded phone call at work – the one from her daughter’s school. Her child was in a hospital. Jenny had been taken there by ambulance after she collapsed at her desk.
It turned out that Jenny lost consciousness because she had untreated Type I diabetes. Her medical situation was very dangerous, and there was a chance that she could go into a coma and die. Her mother felt tremendous guilt because she was a nurse who believed she should have recognized her daughter’s symptoms before the crisis occurred.
It all seems so obvious now.
Diabetes and Children
Most parents, even ones who are doctors or nurses, do not recognize symptoms of diabetes in their children. Many also mistakenly believe that diabetes is a disease of middle age -- but this is no longer true.
More children than ever, especially those who are overweight, are developing Type 2 diabetes, the type that previously occurred primarily in older people. A new European study found that childhood diabetes, or Type 1, is also on the rise, and is being increasingly diagnosed in children under five years old. This study found that the risk was higher if the children had older mothers or were born by Caesarian section.
About Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease of insufficient insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels. People who cannot make enough insulin have Type 2 diabetes; those who cannot make any have Type 1. Diabetics need to monitor their blood sugar levels by testing their blood throughout the day, and injecting themselves with insulin when necessary.
How can you tell if your child has diabetes?
• The most common symptoms of diabetes are excessive thirst and frequent urination, especially at night.
• If your child has diabetes, he may be tired most of the time and lose weight for no reason.
• Girls who have diabetes often have genital itching and thrush.
Irregular Blood Sugar Levels
If blood sugar levels fall too low, a diabetic will lose consciousness. Before this happens, he will experience shaking, sweating, headache, blurred vision, irritability, weepiness, difficulty concentrating, and “pins and needles” sensations around the mouth.
If blood sugar levels grow too high, a diabetic can also lose consciousness. This will be preceded by sweet-smelling breath, headache, fatigue, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, and rapid breathing.
A Quick and Simple Test for Diabetes
Your doctor can determine if your child has diabetes through a quick and simple blood test. Millions of children and adults are living happy, successful lives even though they have this chronic condition.
One celebrity in the news today, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, was diagnosed with diabetes when she was only eight years old.
