anu
With obesity on the rise in the United States, it is not surprising that children have become part of the trend towards overeating and inactivity. Unfortunately, this trend is also leading towards the increase of children contracting type 2 diabetes. The occurrence of type 2 diabetes among children continues to rise.
If you suspect that your child might have diabetes, there are things you can do. The first thing is to examine the symptoms. Type 2 diabetes can develop slowly and some children won't show any signs or experience any symptoms, but those you should watch for are:
1. Increased thirst and frequent urination. These two signs go hand in hand. If your child is thirsty, s/he will want to drink more. Drinking more will most likely cause your child to have to urinate more often. The increased thirst of someone suffering with diabetes is the result of sugar build up in the bloodstream. This increase in sugar causes the body to pull fluid from the tissues.
2. Increased hunger. When suffering from diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin which is needed to move sugar into the cells. This sugar provides the muscles and organs with energy. When this sugar does not get where it needs to go, your child will be hungry.
3. Weight loss. Even though your child may be eating more than ever, the energy that sugar supplies isn't reaching the cells and so the muscle tissues and fat stores are shrinking. As a result, your child may actually be losing weight.
4. Fatigue. Due to the lack of insulin produced, your child may be tired and irritable since sugar is not reaching the cells of the body.
5. Blurred vision. When blood sugar is too high, fluid may be drawn away from the lenses of the eyes, which can affect the ability to focus clearly.
6. Slow-healing of sores and/or frequent infections. Diabetes can compromise your child's immune system and can cause sores and cuts to take longer than usual to heal.
7. Areas of darkened skin. If your child is suffering from diabetes you may notice areas of dark, velvety skin in his her her skin folds, particularly in the armpits and the neck. This is a condition called acantosis nigricans, which is a sign of insulin resistance.
Whether or not your child is exhibiting any signs or symptoms of diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, you should consider your child's risk for developing this disease. If your child has a BMI (Body Mass Index) bigger than the 85th percentile, or have any relatives, including parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles or cousins with type 2 diabetes, they are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Childhood diabetes is also more prevalant amongst girls and African-Merican, Hispanic, Native American or Asian-American races. As mentioned previously, being overweight and/or inactive puts your child at higher risk of developing the disease.
If you suspect your child may have type 2 diabetes, contact a medical professional as soon as possible. The sooner the diagnosis, the sooner the treatment can begin for this serious and complex yet treatable disease.
If you suspect that your child might have diabetes, there are things you can do. The first thing is to examine the symptoms. Type 2 diabetes can develop slowly and some children won't show any signs or experience any symptoms, but those you should watch for are:
1. Increased thirst and frequent urination. These two signs go hand in hand. If your child is thirsty, s/he will want to drink more. Drinking more will most likely cause your child to have to urinate more often. The increased thirst of someone suffering with diabetes is the result of sugar build up in the bloodstream. This increase in sugar causes the body to pull fluid from the tissues.
2. Increased hunger. When suffering from diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin which is needed to move sugar into the cells. This sugar provides the muscles and organs with energy. When this sugar does not get where it needs to go, your child will be hungry.
3. Weight loss. Even though your child may be eating more than ever, the energy that sugar supplies isn't reaching the cells and so the muscle tissues and fat stores are shrinking. As a result, your child may actually be losing weight.
4. Fatigue. Due to the lack of insulin produced, your child may be tired and irritable since sugar is not reaching the cells of the body.
5. Blurred vision. When blood sugar is too high, fluid may be drawn away from the lenses of the eyes, which can affect the ability to focus clearly.
6. Slow-healing of sores and/or frequent infections. Diabetes can compromise your child's immune system and can cause sores and cuts to take longer than usual to heal.
7. Areas of darkened skin. If your child is suffering from diabetes you may notice areas of dark, velvety skin in his her her skin folds, particularly in the armpits and the neck. This is a condition called acantosis nigricans, which is a sign of insulin resistance.
Whether or not your child is exhibiting any signs or symptoms of diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, you should consider your child's risk for developing this disease. If your child has a BMI (Body Mass Index) bigger than the 85th percentile, or have any relatives, including parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles or cousins with type 2 diabetes, they are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Childhood diabetes is also more prevalant amongst girls and African-Merican, Hispanic, Native American or Asian-American races. As mentioned previously, being overweight and/or inactive puts your child at higher risk of developing the disease.
If you suspect your child may have type 2 diabetes, contact a medical professional as soon as possible. The sooner the diagnosis, the sooner the treatment can begin for this serious and complex yet treatable disease.
About the Author:
When I learned that I (and my husband... and the cat!) had type 2 diabetes, I felt very overwhelmed. But diabetes isn't a big problem just at my house. It's a big - and growing - problem just about everywhere. I decided to find out everything I can about type 2 diabetes that'll help us, and others, keep it under control. Please visit me at my blog Taming Type 2 Diabetes.
0 comments:
Post a Comment