How to tell if your child is diabetic

Type 2 diabetes in children - Symptoms and causes

Overview

Type 2 diabetes in children is a chronic disease that affects the way your child's body processes sugar (glucose) for fuel. Without treatment, the disorder causes sugar to build up in the bloodstream, which can lead to serious long-term consequences.

Type 2 diabetes occurs more commonly in adults. In fact, it used to be called adult-onset diabetes. But the increasing number of children with obesity has led to more cases of type 2 diabetes in younger people.

There's plenty you can do to help manage or prevent type 2 diabetes in your child. Encourage your child to eat healthy foods, get plenty of physical activity and maintain a healthy weight. If healthy eating and exercise aren't enough to control type 2 diabetes, oral medication or insulin treatment may be needed.

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Symptoms

Type 2 diabetes in children may develop so gradually that there are no noticeable symptoms. Sometimes, the disorder is diagnosed during a routine check-up.

Some children might experience these signs and symptoms as a result of too much sugar in their bloodstreams:

Increased thirst
Frequent urination
Increased hunger
Fatigue
Blurry vision
Darkened areas of skin, most often around the neck or in the armpits and groin
Unintended weight loss, although this is less common in children with type 2 diabetes than in children with type 1 diabetes
Frequent infections

When to see a doctor

See your child's health care provider if you notice any of the signs or symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Undiagnosed, the disease can cause serious damage.

Diabetes screening is recommended for children who have started puberty or are at least 10 years old, who are overweight or obese, and who have at least one other risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

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Causes

The exact cause of type 2 diabetes is unknown. But family history and genetics appear to play an important role. What is clear is that children with type 2 diabetes can't process sugar (glucose) properly.

Most of the sugar in the body comes from food. When food is digested, sugar enters the bloodstream. Insulin allows sugar to enter the cells — and lowers the amount of sugar in the blood.

Insulin is produced by a gland located behind the stomach called the pancreas. The pancreas sends insulin to the blood when food is eaten. When the blood sugar level starts to drop, the pancreas slows down the secretion of insulin into the blood.

When your child has type 2 diabetes, this process doesn't work as well. As a result, instead of fueling cells, sugar builds up in your child's bloodstream. This can happen because:

The pancreas may not make enough insulin
The cells become resistant to insulin and don't allow as much sugar in

Risk factors

Researchers don't fully understand why some children develop type 2 diabetes and others don't, even if they have similar risk factors. However, it's clear that certain factors increase the risk, including:

Weight. Being overweight is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes in children. The more fatty tissue children have — especially inside and between the muscle and skin around the abdomen — the more resistant their bodies' cells become to insulin.
Inactivity. The less active children are, the greater their risk of type 2 diabetes.
Diet. Eating red meat and processed meat and drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Family history. Children's risk of type 2 diabetes increases if they have a parent or sibling with the disease.
Race or ethnicity. Although it's unclear why, certain people — including Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Asian American people — are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Age and sex. Many children develop type 2 diabetes in their early teens, but it may occur at any age. Adolescent girls are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than are adolescent boys.
Maternal gestational diabetes. Children born to women who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Low birth weight or preterm birth. Having a low birth weight is associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Babies born prematurely — before 39 to 42 weeks' gestation —have a greater risk of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes in children is often associated with metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome

When certain conditions occur with obesity, they are associated with insulin resistance and can increase the risk of diabetes ⸺ and heart disease and stroke. A combination of the following conditions is often called metabolic syndrome:

High blood pressure
Low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), the "good" cholesterol
High triglycerides
High blood sugar levels
Large waist size

Polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects young females after puberty. PCOS is caused by an imbalance of hormones, resulting in signs such as weight gain, irregular menstrual periods, and excess face and body hair. People with PCOS often have problems with metabolism that can result in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Complications

Type 2 diabetes can affect nearly every organ in your child's body, including the blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. The long-term complications of type 2 diabetes develop gradually over many years. Eventually, diabetes complications may be severe or even life-threatening.

Complications of type 2 diabetes are related to high blood sugar and include:

High cholesterol
Heart and blood vessel disease
Stroke
Nerve damage
Kidney disease
Eye disease, including blindness

Keeping your child's blood sugar level close to the standard range most of the time can dramatically reduce the risk of these complications. You can help your child prevent diabetes complications by:

Working with your child to maintain good blood sugar control as much as possible
Teaching your child the importance of healthy eating and participating in regular physical activity
Scheduling regular visits with your child's diabetes treatment team

Prevention

Healthy-lifestyle choices can help prevent type 2 diabetes in children. Encourage your child to:

Eat healthy foods. Offer your child foods low in fat and calories. Focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to prevent boredom.
Get more physical activity. Encourage your child to become active. Sign up your child for a sports team or dance lessons.

Better yet, make it a family affair. The lifestyle choices that can help prevent type 2 diabetes in children can do the same for adults.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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Diabetes in Toddlers: Causes, Signs, and Treatment

Diabetes is a chronic condition that can appear at any age, even in the first year of a child’s life. Sometimes, the diagnosis is delayed in babies and young children because diabetes symptoms are similar to those of other illnesses. The most common signs of diabetes in toddlers include an increase in thirst and more frequent or increased urination. Read on to find out more about the signs of diabetes and how diabetes is diagnosed, as well as what treatments may be available, and what you can do day-to-day to manage diabetes in your toddler.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is the more common term for diabetes mellitus, which is a metabolic disorder that affects how the body uses blood sugar (also known as blood glucose, or just glucose).

Blood sugar is the source of energy the cells in the body need. It provides energy to the tissues, muscles, and organs, including the brain. When we eat, the nutrients we consume, such as protein, fat, and carbohydrates, get broken down into glucose, which becomes fuel for the body.

When someone has diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin, a hormone that transports the glucose in the blood to the cells. Insulin is produced by the pancreas, an organ located behind the stomach. When the pancreas doesn’t produce enough of this hormone, the blood sugar cannot reach the cells or be used properly. Because sugar stays in the blood, this leads to high blood sugar levels. When the blood sugar levels are high for long periods of time, this can cause health problems.

Although diabetes can’t be cured, it can be managed. If your toddler is diagnosed with this condition, there are steps you can take to manage it, and your little one can lead a full and healthy life.

What Types of Diabetes Are There?

There are two types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes and type 2. So what is the difference between them?

Type 1 Diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes have a low supply of insulin or no insulin supply at all. When someone with type 1 diabetes eats, the blood glucose levels rise considerably. This is sometimes called hyperglycemia.

With type 1 diabetes, nutrients in food are not used by the cells for energy, and the sugar just stays in the blood. Because the cells cannot get their fuel, they think they are starving, which triggers the liver to respond by making even more sugar from the body’s fat and protein stores.

This becomes a vicious cycle, as without insulin, the body cannot use the extra glucose and actually produces more. Type 1 diabetes can cause weight loss and weakness. If a toddler is diagnosed with diabetes, it’s more likely to be this type of diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes

For children and adults with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas is able to produce insulin, but the body doesn’t respond to it as it should. With type 2 diabetes, the glucose in the blood is unable to enter the cells and cannot supply the energy the cells need—this is also known as insulin resistance—so the sugar builds up in the bloodstream. After a time, the pancreas works harder to produce more insulin, but this can strain the organ, and it struggles to produce enough insulin to keep the blood sugar at a healthy level. This type of diabetes is more common in adults, but some children and adolescents can develop type 2 diabetes, often associated with obesity.

You may have also heard the term prediabetes, which refers to having blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to qualify as type 2 diabetes.

Prediabetes can develop into type 2 diabetes. However, there is good news, as changes to diet and activity levels, along with reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, can help a child with prediabetes avoid getting type 2 diabetes. Positive lifestyle changes may even bring children’s blood sugar levels back to normal.

What Causes Diabetes in Toddlers?

The cause or causes of diabetes in children and toddlers is unknown. However, experts have formed some theories and have identified risk factors for both types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes. This type of diabetes usually occurs in people whose immune system, which usually fights viruses and harmful bacteria, destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Although why this happens is not well understood, experts believe that genetics or environmental factors, like exposure to viruses that trigger this autoimmune response, could be responsible.
Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is more common in adults—the risk increases with age—but it can appear in children. This kind of diabetes has links to family history and genetics, but a sedentary lifestyle and excess fat, especially in the belly area, can also play a role.

What Are the Warning Signs of Diabetes in Toddlers?

Some of the symptoms of diabetes are similar to things that can happen in everyday life —like increased thirst on a hot day. However, if you notice any of these diabetes warning signs in your toddler, it's safest to contact your healthcare provider, who can either rule out or diagnose diabetes:

Increased thirst or dehydration. The excess glucose in the bloodstream pulls fluid from tissues, and this can cause increased thirst or dehydration. Although your toddler asking for more water could have many natural causes, including hot weather or him being especially active, increased thirst can sometimes be a sign of diabetes, especially if the thirst is prolonged or is combined with other symptoms.
Frequent or increased urination. You may find that you're changing a lot more diapers than usual, or if your little one is toilet trained you may see more frequent bedwetting or notice that your toddler needs to pee more often.
Weight loss. Either your toddler shows an increased appetite and eats more but still loses weight, or there is a persistent loss of appetite resulting in weight loss. A loss of appetite is the more common symptom in younger children.
Severe diaper rash. Although a more severe form of diaper rash can have many causes (such as a food allergy or a yeast infection), it could be a sign of diabetes if the diaper rash does not respond to treatment such as more frequent diaper changes or the use of a barrier cream.
Tiredness or fatigue you cannot explain. You may notice your little one is unusually tired all the time without any obvious reason. This fatigue is caused by the cells of the body not getting enough energy in the form of blood sugar.
Persistent vomiting. Especially if accompanied by drowsiness or weakness.
Blurred vision. High blood sugar can pull fluid from the lenses of your toddler’s eyes, which can cause problems in focusing. If your child complains about not being able to see properly, for example, let your toddler’s healthcare provider know about this symptom, as it could be a warning sign of diabetes.
Sores and cuts that take longer to heal than usual.

How Is Diabetes Diagnosed in Toddlers?

If your toddler’s healthcare provider suspects diabetes, she may recommend testing to check your toddler’s blood glucose levels. Here are some common tests your provider may perform:

Random blood sugar test. A blood test is done at a random time to measure glucose levels.
Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) blood test. This test measures the percentage of glucose attached to the hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.
Fasting blood sugar test. For this test, a blood sample is taken after an overnight fast.
Oral glucose tolerance test. If your healthcare provider suspects type 2 diabetes, an oral glucose tolerance test may be recommended. The first blood test is taken after an eight-hour or overnight fast. Then your little one will drink a sugary solution and his blood sugar levels will be rechecked via a blood test several times over the next few hours.

Your toddler’s healthcare provider will explain the testing process and go over the results with you.

Is There Any Way to Treat Diabetes in Toddlers?

If the diagnosis comes back positive for diabetes, treatment can begin immediately.

Your child may be assigned a diabetes treatment team—including a doctor, dietitian, and diabetes educator—who will work closely with you to help keep your toddler’s blood sugar level as normal as possible.

Although there is no cure for diabetes, with treatment and consistent care your little one can go on to have a normal life. Treatment depends on whether your toddler has type 1 or type 2 diabetes, but the treatment plan may include:

Blood sugar monitoring. You will need to check your toddler’s blood sugar levels frequently, at least 4 times a day for type 1. Testing helps you make sure your little one’s blood sugar levels are within the target range. Your healthcare provider will tell you what this range should be, as this will change as your child grows.
Taking insulin. If your toddler has type 1 diabetes, then life-long treatment with insulin will be necessary. Some cases of type 2 diabetes also require insulin. Insulin is often given as an injection but is sometimes administered through a pump. Your toddler’s healthcare provider will show you how to give injections or use the pump, and when your child grows old enough the provider will be able to show her how to do it for herself.
A healthy diet. Eating well and timing meals appropriately is a big part of any diabetes treatment plan, and your little one’s healthcare provider or dietician will come up with a tailor-made plan for you to follow.
Regular exercise. Encourage your little one to get at least an hour of physical activity a day. You can get involved and even make it a part of your family routine—there are so many ways to do this. Go outside and play ball together, take the family on a hike, play tag, or bounce around on a trampoline.
Counting carbohydrates. If your toddler has type 1 diabetes, your little one’s healthcare provider or dietician will explain how to count carbohydrates in foods, so her insulin dose can be calculated accurately.
Medication. Children with type 2 diabetes may be prescribed medications like metformin, which reduces the amount of blood sugar the liver releases into the bloodstream, or liraglutide, administered by injection, which makes the pancreas release more insulin after meals.

Tips for Parents: How to Manage Diabetes in Your Toddler

If your toddler is diagnosed with diabetes, your medical team will make sure your little one gets a great treatment plan.

Diabetes does require lots of attentive care and lifestyle changes that can be challenging to explain and enforce with a toddler, but there are steps you can take to make things a little easier and help reduce the risk of complications:

Help your child make healthy food choices. Diet plays an essential role in managing diabetes, so try to help your little one establish good habits at a young age. You can do things together as a family such as cooking healthy meals together and sitting down to eat without distractions. Try to introduce more fruits and veggies with each meal, and set a positive example for your little one when it comes to your own eating habits.
Get your toddler active. Exercise is important when it comes to diabetes, so take advantage of any fun ways to get your toddler moving each day.
Have your child wear a medical identification tag or bracelet. If a medical emergency occurs, this tag or bracelet identifies that your child is diabetic to the medical team or anyone who comes to your child’s aid. You can ask your healthcare provider for more information about getting one of these.
Help your little one develop a relationship with the diabetes treatment team. Explain to your child that the members of her treatment team are there to help her and are her friends; help her develop positive associations with them.
Teach your child about the importance of lifelong diabetes care when she's old enough to understand. Work together with your toddler’s diabetes team to help her understand the importance of diabetes care; you could also find books or videos on the topic that can help explain it to her.

Can Diabetes Be Prevented?

At this time there is no known prevention strategy for type 1 diabetes, but type 2 can sometimes be prevented with healthy lifestyle choices.

If you have a family history of type 1 diabetes, you notice symptoms of diabetes in your toddler, or your little one has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you can prevent complications by:

Helping your little one maintain good blood sugar levels as much as possible
Helping your toddler follow a healthy diet
Encouraging your toddler to get active
Scheduling regular visits with your child’s healthcare provider or diabetes specialist (endocrinologist).

Type 2 diabetes can be prevented by making appropriate lifestyle choices, so encourage healthy habits in your toddler from an early age by:

Providing healthy meals and snacks. Give your little one a range of nutritious foods, focusing on fruit, vegetables, lean sources of protein and dairy, and whole grains, and avoiding giving sugary sweets and drinks, high calorie treats, and food high in fat.
Keeping your toddler physically active. Try to get your little one active for at least 60 minutes a day—make it fun and maybe even do it together. Staying fit and active together can have great health benefits for you too!

The Bottom Line

Although diabetes is a lifelong condition that requires consistent care and management, it's a condition that can be treated, and there is support out there to help make sure your child remains healthy throughout life. Turn to your healthcare provider if you ever have questions about your toddler’s health or diabetes treatment plan.

90,000 "RG"-couplings: how to recognize diabetes in a child

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RG-week

Rodina

thematic applications

Union

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10.12.2019 20:55

Category:

Society

Doctors remind how to recognize diabetes in a child

Irina Nevinnaya

In almost every second case, a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when there is a real threat to his life - hyperglycemia (high blood glucose), sometimes up to severe unconscious state - hyperglycemic coma. The child is taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and then the parents are informed about the disease.

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To keep such emergencies as small as possible, a project called "Children also have diabetes" was launched in the regions of the country. The main task is to teach parents what to look for, so that if the child is sick, it can be established as early as possible.

Diagnosing diabetes is not difficult at all - you just need to pass the appropriate blood tests on time. The disease does not make itself felt immediately, the symptoms increase gradually. And in order to prevent the development of hyperglycemia, which can end in tragedy, parents are simply obliged to carefully monitor the child. And in which case - immediately take him to the doctor and examine.

However, a recent FOM survey showed that half of the parents are not aware of the early symptoms of the disease at all. And one in four named erroneous symptoms, such as cravings for sweets.

It is clear that it is better not to lead to critical situations. And examine the child without waiting for complications, at the first signs of trouble (see Fig.)

Competently

Thirst is not good

Valentina Peterkova, chief freelance pediatric specialist endocrinologist of the Ministry of Health of Russia:

- Diabetes mellitus type 1 today is one of the most common endocrine diseases in children and adolescents. It arises as a result of a complex interaction of genetic factors, viral and immunological disorders, and heredity does not play a big role here. Unfortunately, it is impossible to prevent the onset of diabetes with the help of any preventive measures, but it is possible to make a diagnosis in time and choose the appropriate therapy for a particular patient. This will provide a good level of compensation, the child will be able to live a full life if he follows the doctor's orders. The main thing we urge parents to do is to pay attention to the symptoms in time. Should alert excessive thirst, weight loss with increased appetite, frequent urination, especially at night. If this happens to your child - no need to wait, take him to the doctor and be examined.

Specialist's advice

Protecting yourself from the threat of getting sick

1. Tempering, regular exercise, friendly, warm family environment - all this will help the child to resist provoking factors that trigger the disease - stress and infections.

2. If you call an ambulance for suspected symptoms of hyperglycemia or a hyperglycemic coma in a child, tell the doctor about your observations. Don't refuse hospitalization. The described symptoms will help doctors more accurately and quickly choose a treatment algorithm.

3. Spare your child's pancreas: limit your consumption of sweets, including drinks with added sugar, to reasonable amounts.

4. Most importantly, you must not allow the disease to be detected at a late stage. At the first symptoms, contact a pediatric endocrinologist.

5. If your child has been diagnosed with diabetes, the nursery educator, school teacher should know about it so that they can help.

Important

Not many people know what is terrible about diabetes

With prolonged poor control, it provokes:

cardiovascular disease, heart attack;

arterial hypertension, stroke;

poor wound healing, trophic ulcers;

vision problems up to total blindness;

kidney problems up to kidney failure;

"diabetic foot", threat of gangrene and amputation of limbs;

coma.

Infographics "RG" / Leonid Kuleshov / Irina Nevinnaya

Rossiyskaya Gazeta - Nedelya - Federal Issue: No. 280(8038)

Health Diabetes: Prevention and Diet "RG" Tips

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Diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents

Category: Useful information.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent) predominates among children. Although in recent years, type 2 diabetes occurs in obese children older than 8 years. A child can get sick at any age, often diabetes develops in children under 5 years of age.

What contributes to the development of diabetes in children?

genetic predisposition.
Early refusal of breastfeeding, improper introduction of complementary foods,
Overweight.
Infectious diseases transferred in early childhood.
Stress.

The symptoms of diabetes mellitus in children are almost the same as in adults: severe thirst, bedwetting appears, the child loses weight, fatigue, poor performance at school, skin infections (boils, barley) often recur, and vaginal candidiasis in girls.

Diabetes in children of the first year of life is rare, but it still happens sometimes. An infant cannot complain. If the baby is in a diaper, then parents are unlikely to notice that he has begun to excrete much more urine. Diabetes can be suspected if the child is not gaining or losing weight; greedily drinks water; frequent diaper rash; after the urine dries, the diapers become as if starched; if urine gets on the floor, then sticky spots remain there. Acute symptoms of diabetes in children: vomiting, intoxication, severe dehydration.

The diagnosis is usually quickly confirmed by detecting an increase in blood glucose (greater than 11.1 mmol/L). If ketone bodies are detected in the blood or urine, urgent therapy is indicated. Waiting the next day to confirm hyperglycemia can be life-threatening. Children with diabetes need lifelong hormone replacement therapy. Diabetes never goes away. A child with diabetes will need maintenance treatment with insulin for the rest of his life.

Prevention of diabetes.