A parent’s Guide to Understanding and Managing Diabetes in Children
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Introduction
When your blood glucose, commonly known as blood sugar, is too high, you develop diabetes. Your primary energy source is blood glucose, which is obtained from the food you eat. The pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which facilitates the entry of food-derived glucose into your cells for energy production. Your body occasionally produces insufficient or no insulin, or it uses insulin poorly. After that, glucose remains in your circulation and does not enter your cells.
Which types of Diabetes affect children?
Type 1
In children with type 1 diabetes, which used to be called juvenile diabetes, the pancreas is unable to make insulin.Without insulin, sugar in the blood can’t get into the cells, which can lead to high blood sugar levels.
People can get type 1 diabetes at any age, from when they are young children to when they are adults, but the average age is 13. About 85% of all type 1 diagnosis happen in people younger than 20 years old.
Treatment includes using insulin and checking blood sugar for the rest of your life, as well as making changes to your diet and exercise, to help keep your blood sugar levels in the target range.
Type 2
Type 2 diabetes in young children is rare, but insulin dysfunction can cause it. Glucose can build up without enough insulin.Children can get type 2 diabetes, but older persons are more likely.
Type 2 diabetes and childhood obesity are rising.Over 75% of children with type 2 diabetes have a close relative with it owing to genetics or lifestyle. Parent or sibling type 2 diabetes increases the risk.
Symptoms of diabetes in kids that parents should look for
Diabetes symptoms are similar in children, adolescents, and adults. Both kinds of diabetes have certain symptoms, but there are key differences that can be used to distinguish between the two.
In children with type 1 diabetes, the symptoms typically appear suddenly over a short period of time. Diabetes type 2 symptoms appear more gradually. The time it takes to get a diagnosis could be months or years.
Type 1
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Increased thirst and urination
- irritability
- Hunger
- Weight loss
Type 2
- Tiredness
- Slow healing of cuts or wounds
- Urinating more often, especially at night
- Blurred vision as a result of eye dryness
- Unexplained weight loss
- Increased thirst
- Itching around the genitals, possibly with a Yeast infection
Diagnosis and treatment options for kids in diabetes
A random test for blood sugar The main screening test for type 1 diabetes is this one. At some random time, a blood sample is obtained. Diabetes is indicated by a blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or greater and by the presence of symptoms.
A1C test for glycated hemoglobin This test reveals your child’s three-month average blood sugar level. Diabetes is diagnosed when two different tests show an A1C level of 6.5% or above.
Blood sugar test after fasting Your youngster will have their blood drawn after fasting for at least eight hours or overnight. Type 1 diabetes is suggested by a fasting blood sugar level of 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or greater.
Treatment
- Being active by playing and getting exercise
- Eating a healthy diet and following a meal plan
- Taking Insulin
- Checking blood sugar levels
- Medications such as Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and Metformin
How to Assist Your Child With Diabetes
If your child develops diabetes, you have a crucial task to complete. You constantly monitor their blood sugar levels, administer insulin, ensure that they consume the correct foods, and maintain their blood sugar levels within a healthy range. Even though it’s a lot, you can handle it if you know what to do in any circumstance.
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Eat Healthy — as a Family
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Keep School Informed
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Have an Emergency Plan
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Monitor Exercise
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Stay on Target With Blood Sugar Tests
- Let them choose which finger to prick.
- Breathing exercises
Nutrition Tips & Diet Plans for Kids with Diabetes
- Avoid adding excess salt (sodium) to your meals because doing so will lower your blood pressure.
- Make sure you monitor the amount of carbohydrates your youngster consumes each day.
- Refined flour, White bread, cookies, pasta, noodles, pastries and other meals containing processed sugar should be avoided.
- Reduce the amount of chips, soda, junk food, and other sugary foods that are bad for your child’s health.
- Read the labels on your food as a habit. Given that it offers you a precise sense of what your child consumes, it can be very useful.
- Keep a carb counting schedule from the start. It will support your child’s future eating habits.
- Always give your youngster about 30% of their calories from good fats and 15% to 20% from protein.
- Foods with high amounts of sugar, fat, or carbohydrates should not be added.
- Ensure that you monitor your child’s blood pressure as well. Diabetes often causes high blood pressure in children.
Conclusion
Diabetes is a slowly fatal disease for which there are no recognized cures. However, with the right knowledge and prompt treatment, its problems can be minimized. Heart attack, kidney damage, and blindness are three serious side effects. For patients to avoid complications, it’s critical to maintain careful control over their blood glucose levels. One of the challenges with strict blood glucose control is that such efforts may result in hypoglycemia, which causes considerably more serious problems than an elevated blood glucose level. The hunt for alternate diabetes treatment strategies is now underway.