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Understanding Diabetes:

In the last few years, medical cases where a child has been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes has consistently seen a rise. In the past, it was Type 1 Diabetes that was more often seen, with many doctors referring to this condition as ‘Juvenile Diabetes’ for the longest time. With the change in lifestyle and other elements, though, the cases where both Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes is commonly being seen is on the rise.

Let us look at this condition in a little more detail.

Understanding Diabetes:

Under normal circumstances, your digestive system breaks down carbohydrates consumed into a type of sugar called glucose. In order to move this from your blood to your cells, to be used as fuel, your body’s pancreas creates a hormone known as insulin.

In medical cases where Type 2 Diabetes is suspected, the patient’s body does not respond to the insulin being created, leading to a build-up of glucose in the blood stream. This condition is known as insulin resistance, which eventually results in the sugar level in the body becoming too high to handle. This, in turn, can lead to other medical conditions with varying severity, which can include heart disease, blindness or even kidney failure.

Common Causes Of Diabetes:

The most common cause of Type 2 Diabetes in Children is excessive weight. Medical studies suggest that a child dealing with obesity is twice as likely to suffer from diabetes, as their body becomes increasingly insulin resistant. Some of the common causes of this excessive weight gain can include:

In most cases, Type 2 diabetes is more likely to affect:

• Unhealthy diet
• Consistent dearth of physical activity
• Family history of obesity
• Underlying medical conditions or hormonal problems.
• Young girls
• Children suffering from excessive weight gain
• Young patients with a family history of diabetes
• Suffering from insulin resistance

Symptoms of Diabetes in Children:

Initially, there are no symptoms of this particular medical condition in children. Over time, though, there may be certain signs that may arise. This includes:

• Sudden or unexplained weight loss
• Consistent feeling of hunger or thirst, even after eating
• consistent feeling of dry mouth
• consistent urination
• Excessive fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Heavy breathing
• Sores or cuts that are slow to heal
• Itchy skin
• Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet

Treatment of Diabetes in Children:

The most crucial step in the treatment of this medical condition is getting your child immediate medical attention. Your doctor will diagnose the possibility of your child being overweight basis their age, weight or height. The doctor will also test the child’s blood sugar to see if they are suffering from diabetes or pre-diabetes.

If the test shows a positive result, further testing will take place to ascertain whether the patient is suffering from Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. Until the tests diagnose the condition for sure, your doctor may prescribe insulin to be administered, if the requirement is severe.

Once the diagnosis is complete, your doctor will suggest lifestyle changes, as well as medication, which will include a drug named metformin. Along with insulin, this is the only form of blood sugar-lowering medication that is approved for children under the age of 18.

In addition, your doctor will also suggest that your child get a Haemoglobin A1c test done every three months. This test will check the average blood sugar levels over this period. In addition, the blood sugar levels of the patient needs to be checked to see:

• If any treatment needs to start or change
• If the patient isn’t meeting the treatment goals
• If the patient needs to take insulin
• If the patient needs to take a sulfonylurea drug

The Apollo Clinic Experience:

At Apollo Clinic, our experts understand the impact that diabetes can have on the life of you and your child. To help minimise the stress that this condition can cause, our team of experienced internists, endocrinologists and dieticians help to ensure that you and your child receive round-the-clock attention and care. Our doctors will help show you how to test for blood sugar, and also tell you how often this needs to be done. In addition, our dieticians will help create a meal plan, as well as an exercise routine that will help control your child’s insulin resistance and blood sugar levels.

If you feel that your child may be suffering from diabetes, get in touch immediately with one of our experts for immediate diagnosis.