Children Diabetes

Diabetes is the most common chronic disease. Some of these children develop diabetes a few months after birth, while others develop it during early childhood. Some even develop it in their teen years. If your child has diabetes, you should know that they will live a full life, and function at full capacity, as long as they understand their disease.

If a child shows any of the common signs of diabetes, such as excessive hunger, frequent urination, excessive thirst, or fatigue, they should be tested. They should also be tested if they are overweight, or if there is a history of diabetes in the family.

They need to understand why eating right is important, and they must also be aware of problem signs to watch out for. You and your doctor can explain the problems and the disease to your child together.

Your child should be fully aware of the medications that they need, including insulin injections. They should learn how to administer their own injections as early as possible, and should be aware of which oral medications they take, when they are to be taken, and how much is to be taken.

Exercise is a must when it comes to diabetes. Children should exercise at least once day for 30minutes to an hour. Make sure they have juice or some other carbohydrate before physical activity and keep something with sugar in it around, because physical activity can lower the blood sugar.Parents can encourage their child to exercise by doing family activities like hiking, swimming, jogging, playing games, walking etc.

Children who have diabetes tend to actually live longer than people who get diabetes in later life. It is speculated that this is because they get into a routine of controlling their diabetes with regular injections and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Parents of children with diabetes should look out for the signs of low glucose levels and always have access to glucose or sweets. Additional regular checkups for kidney and eye problems should be scheduled as these are the 2 areas most affected by diabetes.

One of the mysteries of the medical world relates to children and diabetes. Until recently 85% of adults had type 2 diabetes but when researchers looked at the cases of diabetes in children they found that over 90% of children under 16 had type 1 diabetes.

Some facts about children and diabetes highlight the importance of understanding this disease and finding ways to manage and control it effectively:

* One in every 400-500 children in the world has diabetes.

* Approximately 150,000 children in the United States under the age of 18 have diabetes.

* Type 1 or juvenile diabetes occurs when the immune system begins to generate cells that destroy the pancreatic cells responsible for producing insulin in the body. If the child does not receive insulin every day the child will die.

* 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every year. These children are at a greater risk for heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and immune complications throughout their lives.

* Type 2 or adult onset diagnosis is becoming more prevalent in children. This is a condition where the body is unable to utilize the insulin produced because it has built up a resistance to the insulin.

* Type 2 diabetes is more closely linked to obesity, especially if there is a history of diabetes in the family.

Diabetes in children is a serious threat. Take control of your child’s future today. Make sure they have a healthy diet including fresh fruits and vegetables. Keep your children active. They won’t be deprived if they don’t spend hours a day watching TV or playing computerized games. You could be saving their life.

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