Understanding Childhood Diabetes
January 10th, 2009 Posted by: AnaLise
Childhood Diabetes is also called Type 1 Diabetes. A child with Type 1 diabetes needs to take insulin shots to provide for the insulin not being produced by the child’s pancreas.
The food a child eats is broken down by the body into a sugar called glucose. The sugar is carried through the blood and gives the body energy. Insulin helps the sugar enter the cells in the body and controls the amount of sugar in the blood.
With diabetes there ends up being too much sugar in the blood because there is not enough insulin being produced to balance out the sugar. This often causes many heath problems, which if not treated, can end up being fatal.
In childhood diabetes (Type 1 Diabetes), the pancreas cannot create enough insulin because many of the cells in the pancreas are being destroyed. This is sometimes due to the body’s immune system destroying the cells. Sometimes Type 1 Diabetes occurs due to hereditary factors, as it can be genetic and run in families.
Some of the main symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes are excessive thirst, urinating a lot and losing weight. Learning about the disease and learning about what type of diet can be helpful and healthy for diabetes is important for families to learn about and understand. Treatment involves monitoring blood sugar through use of a glucose meter to check the levels and exploring the choices for a good diet and sticking to it. Keytone tests are also important. Basically, they test the urine and can tell you if enough insulin is being produced. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you how they work and can also prescribe insulin or other medication to control your child’s diabetes.
It is also essential to have continuous treatment and monitoring through your family’s or child’s doctor, not only for the child that is diagnosed with diabetes, but also to have the entire family tested, as well.
Juvenile, Childhood or Type 1 Diabetes can be managed and controlled in a way that will allow your child to live a normal life, doing the same things that other children do. One of the best sources of information is the American Diabetes Association. You can call them at 1-800-342-2383 or visit the on the web at www.diabetes.org.
