Diabetes in Small Children

Diabetes is a serious disease that stops the body from making or properly using insulin, a hormone needed to change sugar, starches, and other food into energy required for daily life. Millions of children are born and develop diabetes at a young age. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases. Diabetes prevention may begin in infancy; some evidence shows breast-feeding lowers a child's risk of developing diabetes.�

There are 2 types of diabetes�

Type 1 diabetes is an immune system disease where the body makes little or no insulin. It usually begins in childhood or teens. Children with type 1 diabetes need daily insulin shots to help their bodies use food. Sometimes they take 2 shots daily. They need to check their sugar with a machine also. Check your blood sugar and log the result in your book. Type 1 diabetes often runs in families, and whites have a higher rate of type 1 diabetes than other racial groups.�

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong (chronic) disease that develops when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin or the body is unable to use it. In many people, the body first becomes resistant to insulin and then eventually loses the ability to produce it. The cause is not known, but experts believe a family history of diabetes, being overweight, and lack of exercise contribute to the disease.�

General insulin tips:�

*Take before meals.
*Rotate sites of injection. One way to do this is by injecting the left side of body one day and the right side the next day.
*Keep your insulin vials in the refrigerator or in a cool, dry place.�

Symptoms that happen in children�

Some of the most common symptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, increased fatigue, irritability and blurry vision.�

Type 1 diabetes, which affects up to 1 million people in the United States, develops when the body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes usually strikes children and young adults, who need several insulin injections a day or an insulin pump to survive.