Diabetes mellitus, often referred to simply as diabetes, is a chronic disease for which there is currently no cure. A sometimes devastating diagnosis for an adult to accept, it can be even harder for a child diagnosed with the disease. Lifestyle adjustments must be made and medication regimens followed to ensure the best health for a toddler diagnosed with diabetes.
Background
Diabetes, a disease in which blood glucose--blood sugar--levels are elevated, is a disease that is on the rise in the United States. Much of the rise in diabetes diagnoses are in people 20 years and over, but there is also an increase occurring in children, from infants to teenagers, who are diagnosed with the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that from 2002 to 2003, 15,000 youth each year were newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and 3,700 youth were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Types
The two main types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes, results from a defect in the immune system that destroys the beta-cells of the pancreas, which produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes was historically the only type of diabetes diagnosed in children, with rare exception. Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes, generally begins with insulin resistance. At this stage, the body produces insulin in response to signals from the body, but cells of the muscles, liver and fat don't use the insulin correctly. Beta cells from the pancreas initially produce more insulin in an attempt to maintain normal blood glucose levels, but in time the beta cells wear out, as explained by the Cleveland Clinic.
Symptoms
Type 1 diabetes is much more likely to show signs and symptoms initially than is type 2 diabetes in toddlers. Type 1 diabetes often presents as increased thirst or hunger, excess urination, rapid weight loss and fatigue. As type 2 diabetes progresses and blood glucose levels begin to rise, your toddler may begin to exhibit symptoms similar to those of type 1 diabetes, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Expert Insight
Children with Diabetes offers information about differentiating information and symptoms in toddlers with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetic toddlers are usually not obese, only about 5 percent have a family history of diabetes and ultimately they will require use of insulin when all beta cells have been destroyed. Type 2 diabetic toddlers are usually overweight; have a family history of diabetes; are usually from African, Hispanic, American Indian or Asian descent; and 90 percent will have dark, shiny patches on the skin, most often between fingers and toes, on the back of the neck and in underarm creases.
Considerations
Children with Diabetes recommends blood glucose screening for toddlers whose weight is greater than 120 percent of the ideal for their height and meet two of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a serious medical condition that requires immediate evaluation by a medical professional. Any parent who suspects their child may have diabetes should have her screened for the disease.
