The technical term for elevated glucose levels or high blood sugar is hyperglycemia. Anyone who has consistent hyperglycemia will be diagnosed as having diabetes. Children can develop diabetes as well as adults, and in 2007, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, more than 186,000 people in the U.S. under the age of 20 had diabetes.
Symptoms
Children who have elevated glucose levels will eventually exhibit symptoms of high blood sugar. Your child may claim that he is constantly thirsty or notice he is urinating more often than normal. Other symptoms include irritability, fatigue, vision changes and loss of weight. Any of these symptoms should result with a visit to the doctor to find out if he may have diabetes.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of diabetes in children is relatively simple for your doctor to achieve. The standard test for children is a fasting blood sugar test. Regular fasting lab values for glucose should run from 70 to 99mg/dl. Anything from 126mg/dl and higher is considered to be diabetes if this is found during several testing occasions. Numbers between these values may indicate pre-diabetes.
Treatment
Hyperglycemia is a dangerous condition if left untreated, and the American Diabetes Association says that untreated individuals run the risk of going into a diabetic coma. There is no cure for diabetes, so treatment consists of diabetes management. Management of diabetes consists of diet, exercise, blood sugar monitoring and, occasionally, injections of insulin or other drugs to regulate blood sugar.
Prevention
Prevention of diabetes in children is a work in progress. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases are studying the prevalence of diabetes in schools that contain healthy lunch and vending machine options with schools that are weak in that area. The thought is that offering better nutrition and physical activity will lower the risk for diabetes, as the institute's studies on adults have shown that weight loss and physical activity has delayed diabetes and in some cases returned blood glucose levels to normal.
Warning
High glucose levels are extremely dangerous for your child. If he has symptoms that indicate he may have diabetes, you should make an appointment to see a pediatrician as soon as possible. The American Diabetes Association states that symptoms such as shortness of breath, dry mouth, nausea and vomiting, and a fruity smell from the breath all need immediate attention or death could occur.
References
- Lab Tests Online: Glucose Tests: The Tests
- AboutKidsHealth: Diabetes: Hyperglycemia
- American Diabetes Association: Hyperglycemia
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Diabetes Overview
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: National Diabetes Statistics, 2007
