Formerly known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas no longer produces the insulin a person needs to keep blood sugar in check. Without insulin to properly break down blood sugar--known as glucose--the body cannot maintain proper functioning. Insulin is necessary for survival. Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age but is most likely to be diagnosed in childhood or adolescence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 13,000 children are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes each year.
Weight Loss
According to the Mayo Clinic, rapid weight loss is often the first noticeable sign of juvenile diabetes, especially if it appears that the child is eating more than usual and continues to lose weight. When sugar fails to provide the needed energy to muscle and fat stores, they will shrink in response.
Extreme Hunger
When there is a lack of insulin to move sugar to the cells, the muscles and organs become depleted of energy sources. In response, the brain will begin to signal the body that it needs to eat to preserve the body's ability to function. This will trigger an intense hunger. Children will often seem like they cannot get enough to eat.
Increased Thirst and Urination
In uncontrolled type 1 diabetes, sugar will begin to build up in the child's blood stream. As this occurs, fluid is pulled from the tissues, leaving the child thirsty. As the child is drinking more, there will be an increase in frequency to the restroom.
Fatigue and Irritability
Sugar is needed in the cells for energy. When a child's cells are not receiving the needed sugar, they become tired and lethargic. A child may suddenly have little interest in going outside or playing with others, or they may simply seem to tire easily. It may be this chronic fatigue that causes a noticeable change in mood. Children seem more irritable and cranky or may just seem not their usual selves.
Blurred Vision
When blood sugar is too high, fluids are pulled from the tissues. When fluid is pulled from the lenses of the eye, children may lose the ability to focus clearly. A child may be blinking more than usual, squinting and holding objects closer than normal to overcompensate for the lack of clarity in their vision.
Yeast Infections
Yeast is a naturally occurring fungus in the body. It is kept in check by healthy bacteria in the body. However, yeast feeds on sugar. When a child's sugar is out of control, it can supply a unending supply of food for the yeast in the body. In young girls, this can present as a yeast infection. Having a diagnosis of a yeast infection at an early is often the first sign that blood sugars are too high.
