Diabetes is one of the most common and increasingly prevalent chronic diseases among children and adolescents in the United States. Approximately 151,000 people less than 20 years old have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (See References 2) The foods we eat are broken down into simple chemical components for energy, mainly sugar and other nutrients, and pass through the bloodstream into cells. But people with diabetes do not make enough insulin, which has an effect on the entry of glucose into cells. As a result, blood glucose level remains higher than normal, causing a number of symptoms and side effects. (See References 1)
Type 1 Diabetes
In type 1 diabetes, the body's own immune system mistakenly targets for the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, your child's pancreas does not secrete insulin, a hormone essential for the regulation of glucose levels in the blood. Genetics are believed to play an important role in this process. This form of diabetes was previously known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. (See References 3)
Type 2 Diabetes
A child diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is able to produce insulin, but the body's cells or tissues do not use it properly. Insulin resistance happens with type 2 diabetes. Our body cells must obtain glucose from the bloodstream for energy. But in type 2 diabetes, glucose is less accessible for cellular metabolism. It increases the sugar level in the blood. When your blood sugar rises, your body produces more insulin to lower your blood sugar. If the pancreas is over-stimulated over a long period of time, it can wear out and cannot keep up with the body's demand for insulin, according to KidsHealth.org. (See References 4)
MODY Diabetes
Maturity onset diabetes, or MODY, is an unusual cause of diabetes that usually develops before the age of 25. One to two percent of people with type 1 diabetes carry a mutated gene that causes MODY, according to Diabetes.co.uk. (See References 5) MODY diabetes may go unnoticed for years in a patient before diagnosis. This genetic disorder also runs in families and spread among generations. (See References 5)
