Learning about diabetes from AboutKidsHealth
GUEST BLOG: Emma Charlton, Communications Intern, AboutKidsHealth
A diagnosis of diabetes can be overwhelming for patients, parents and caregivers. By working with your healthcare provider and taking an active role, you can support your child through the ups and downs of this disease.
To mark November as National Diabetes Awareness Month and November 14 as World Diabetes Day, AboutKidsHealth has provided some facts about diabetes and how to manage it.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a life-long condition that occurs when your body is unable to use and store sugar for energy. Energy from glucose (sugar) is needed:
• for our bodies to produce heat
• work our muscles
• allow our brains to process information.
What is insulin?
To convert sugar into energy, we need a hormone made in the pancreas, called insulin. A person with diabetes is unable to use or store sugar because the body either:
- does not make insulin
- makes too little insulin
- doesn’t react to insulin.
Without insulin, our bodies are unable to use the sugar to make energy. The body will then look for other sources of energy, such as fat, which can end up harming the body.
Types of diabetes
There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.
Five to 10 percent of people with diabetes have type 1. Most cases occur in children or adolescents. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the pancreas stops producing insulin. The immune system attacks the pancreas, damaging it increasingly over time and causing less and less insulin production.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body is unable to use the insulin it produces or does not produce enough. Although type 2 is most common among adults, it does occur in children, mainly in teenagers.
There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.
The cause of type 1 diabetes is still unknown. Doctors believe that genes and environment can play a role in its development. Links have been made to certain illnesses and viruses that could trigger this response in the immune system.
For type 2, genes and lifestyle are thought to contribute, such as issues with weight, family history, gender and ethnicity.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Symptoms of type 1 can include:
- increased urination
- excessive thirst
- unexplained weight loss with an increase in appetite
- fatigue
- dry, sticky mouth or sore throat.
Symptoms for type 2 can be milder or non-existent in comparison to type 1, but can include:
- excessive urination
- increased thirst
- drowsiness
- blurred vision
- irritability
How is diabetes managed?
There is no known cure for diabetes, but treatment options are available. The first step is to learn the skills needed to effectively manage diabetes:
- how to measure blood sugar levels
- how to administer insulin using needles or a pump (if your child requires insulin)
- how to create a healthy meal plan
It’s also important that your child gets plenty of exercise. Having diabetes does not and should not limit a child’s participation in active play and sports.
To learn more about diabetes and tips on how to manage it, please visit the newly updated AboutKidsHealth Diabetes Resource Centre at http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/diabetes.
