Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, causes sugar ingested into the body to enter cells in order to provide energy. In juvenile Type 1 diabetes, this does not occur because the pancreas secretes very little or no insulin. This causes blood sugar to rise to abnormally high levels, which can cause potential health problems, Diabetes.org reports. In order to survive, children diagnosed with juvenile diabetes need injections of insulin.
Increased Urination and Thirst
When the balance of sugar, known as glucose, and insulin does not exist normally and glucose levels become too high, the child may experience increased thirst. The patient feels thirsty because of the release of fluids by the tissues in the body. This causes the child to urinate more frequently and to try to replace the loss by drinking more liquid.
Increased Hunger
Increased hunger triggered by lack of sugar absorption by the body's tissues can cause the child to feel tired and without energy, Diabetes.org states. The muscles and organs of the body need sugar to function and to produce energy. The body needs insulin to move the sugar into the cells for absorption and use to give energy to the child. When the sugar remains in the bloodstream, the body does not get the needed energy, which causes it to crave more food.
Weight Loss
Because juvenile diabetes insulin imbalances keep the glucose from absorption, no matter how much the child eats, she cannot maintain her weight. Weight loss occurs because of the lack of energy supply for the body that causes the muscle tissues to shrink in weight and size. The child may find her clothes feel increasingly loose and that her body feels smaller. Although the person has increased her consumption of food, she still can lose significant amounts of weight if her blood sugar levels remain high.
Tiredness
The energy loss and lack caused by the non-availability of sugar within the tissues of the body can make the child feel very tired, even with enough rest. The child may exhibit a short temper and appear increasingly irritable.
Blurry Vision
When too much liquid leaves the body due to the flushing effect of too much glucose in the blood, the lenses of the eyes become depleted of fluids, too. This can cause a problem with a child's visual focusing because his eyes need a certain fluid pressure to focus accurately.
Slow-Healing Sores
The child will discover that she has sores that do not heal as usual with excessive glucose in the body. This problem needs can lead to a secondary infection developing if the sores do not heal properly.
