Health Articles

Diabetes in children is a disease that is severe in nature but can be managed through medication, use of insulin injection or healthy lifestyle of your choice. This is the result if the body is not able to regulate blood sugar levels by itself. It is caused by lack of enough insulin, a hormone which breaks down and changes glucose into the blood. Diabetes mellitus (type II diabetes) and diabetes insipidus (type I diabetes) are the two kinds of diabetes. Type I diabetes is the kind that attack children.

Common symptoms that can be seen in children with diabetes are thirst, loss of weight, headaches, frequent urination, pain in the abdomen and problems in behavior.

In order not to acquire diabetes in children, high blood sugar level must be prevented. Hyperglycemia, high blood sugar happens if the sugar (glucose) level goes up above normal. It is difficult to maintain the level of the child because of the speedy growth during teen years.

Elevated readings tend to increase gradually, usually in a period of hours or days. But if you take large meals or skip insulin dose it will increase rapidly (typically within a few hours). Gradual elevation in blood sugar can make someone tired and thirsty. Continued elevation can cause harm in the heart, eyes, kidneys, blood vessels and nerves. If the blood sugar of your child goes on raising like his or her kidneys increase the production of urine, dehydration will occur. It is risky because he or she will suffer coma and eventually dies when your child becomes dehydrated severely.

There are three steps that could assist you to get rid of problems in high blood sugar:

• Regularly, test the blood sugar level of your child especially in the duration of illnesses.The symptoms of high blood sugar level like fatigue, increase in urination and thirst are not seen in every child.
• Consult your doctor whenever there is a frequent elevation in the readings or when the level stays consistently above normal range.
• To prevent dehydration, advice your child to take extra water or non-caffeinated and drinks that are sugar-free.

Special Child Diabetic Care
It is very important to have a regular monitor of blood sugar. The most appropriate times are during meals and at night before going to sleep. Normal scale of blood glucose is 80 to 120. If you have elevated reading, insulin is needed to bring down the level. Eating carbohydrates and proteins are needed to ensure that your level will go up, if your blood glucose level is below the scale of 80. Change in diet or medication or even insulin scale, is needed when your blood glucose fluctuates.This is the reason why checking up the blood glucose regularly is very important.

Annual examination of the eyes is needed if you are diabetic. Diabetic retinopathy is a severe condition if not stopped will lead to blindness. The small blood vessels in the eyes erupt or burst if you have diabetic retinopathy. Visiting the ophthalmologist is necessary to check your eyes also.

Make sure the good circulation of the lower extremities especially the legs and feet. You can use special shoes and socks to aid you. Be aware of some sores that will develop in your feet. There is a tendency for diabetic patients for slow healing and the sores will lead to cutting of toes, feet and even legs.

Another side effect of diabetes in children is kidney problem and if this happens it will require dialysis. All of these can be prevented if you maintain the normal level of your blood glucose by eating healthy and continue to exercise regularly and have a healthy lifestyle.

Blood glucose levels are very important to a diabetic and their physician. This is a way of determining how much insulin or medication one should take, how their diet needs to be adjusted and how their body is reacting to the changes. As a diabetic, you will monitor your blood glucose levels on a regular basis so that you are able to maintain a healthy life.

A majority of the time, it is said that normal blood glucose levels are between 80 and 120, depending upon where you look. Other guides state between 70 and 110 or 90 and 130. Listen to your physician as they will tell you what your specific target range is. With children, usually physicians will give a leeway for a specific target range and then work towards the above listed blood glucose levels.
Blood glucose levels tesing
Your diet helps you to maintain your blood glucose levels. If you eat excessive amounts, your blood glucose levels will rise. If you don’t eat enough, your blood glucose levels will fall. They will also fall because of exercise or activity and even because of heat in the summer time. You will want to keep accurate records of your blood glucose levels so that you will learn how your body reacts to different foods, exercise, environments and learn to adjust accordingly. Blood sugar levels will rise usually when you are sick; have an infection. Now you can see why it is so important to monitor your blood glucose levels on a regular basis.

Hyperglycemia
When blood sugar levels are high, it is considered hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia is a serious condition that if not taken care of can lead to a Diabetic coma, diabetic retinopathy, ketones in the urine and so on. These are just some of the very serious conditions that can result from hyperglycemia.

To get your blood sugar levels to drop, usually insulin is required. It also helps to drink plenty of water which will also flush out ketones if present. You do not want to drop your blood sugar levels too fast; a slow, steady fall is preferred. Taking small insulin dosages every few hours until the levels have returned to normal, is preferred.

Hypoglycemia
When blood sugar levels are low, it is considered hypoglycemia. This is also extremely dangerous. One can pass out from hypoglycemia and if not corrected promptly, they could pass away. There are many different signs of hypoglycemia and as you begin to learn how your own body reacts, you will see that maybe how you are affected is not the same as another diabetic. This is why regular monitoring of blood sugar levels is extremely important.

As a diabetic, it would be extremely advisable to carry around some sort of “low blood sugar kit”. This could be a tube of gel glucose which can be purchased at the pharmacy or glucagon pen (has to prescribed), a candy bar or so on. Teach loved ones how to administer and/or use and where it is located, just in case you do pass out and cannot administer the sugar yourself.