Unfortunately, not only adults who have crossed a certain age line, but also children, suffer from such a common disease as diabetes mellitus. Failure in the endocrine system, expressed by a lack of insulin, leads to physiological changes in the body and violates the psyche of the patient. The first signs of diabetes in children can be provoked by various factors, so when solving this problem it is most important to diagnose the disease in time and to prescribe the right treatment.
How Diabetes Comes
The appearance and development of diabetes in a child has its own characteristics. Unlike adults, metabolic processes in the child's body go much faster. This explains the increased craving of children for sweet foods. With the normal course of the process of carbohydrate metabolism, such abuse does not lead to the development of the disease.
Most often, problems begin when the pancreas function is completed. Usually this happens to five years. It is from this point on that diabetes is diagnosed most often.
The exact cause of the onset of diabetes mellitus by physicians has not yet been established. Doctors are guided in this matter by various factors that can provoke the failure of the endocrine system. These include:
- Metabolic disorders( overweight, hypothyroidism);
- Hereditary genetic predisposition;
- Migrated virus diseases( measles, herpes, rubella);
- Autoimmune abnormalities;
- Overall decrease in immunity.
The risk of developing diabetes is most likely in preterm and underdeveloped children, in adolescents under the age of 11, in children engaged in sports and having a serious physical load.
Symptoms of the disease
Careful care and adherence to strict diet does not guarantee that the disease will not manifest at an early age. Therefore, the parents of any baby should be constantly vigilant, and with the slightest suspicion to consult a doctor. Such control will help to identify the disease at an early stage, when the child will have only a slight violation of the assimilation of sugar. Early diagnosis of the problem helps to quickly stop the development of the disease.
Parents should be able to correctly identify the symptoms of diabetes. First of all, the following signs may become a signal of danger:
- Great water intake( polydipsia) provided that the child does not engage in active games and on the street is not worth the hot weather. Thirst can torment the baby even at night.
- A sharp decrease in weight( minus 10 kg per month) against a background of excellent appetite. This phenomenon should alert the parents, as this may be a consequence of the violation of glucose metabolism. Entering the body sugar is not digested in full, as a result of the cells are not receiving energy, which means that the entire body suffers from a shortage of food. Hence, there is a sharp decrease in weight and a "wolfish appetite."
- Abundant urination( nocturnal enuresis).This phenomenon occurs due to the large consumption of fluid, and is a response to the development of the disease. The genitourinary system tries in this way to purify the body of the remains of unassorted sugar. The child goes to the toilet 12-15 times a day.
- Decreased visual acuity. Surpluses of sugar begin to be deposited in all organs, and also crystallize in the blood vessels. Most often, this accumulation takes place in the liver and in the eye vessels. Crystals of sugar disrupt the lens, resulting in reduced vision.
- Fast fatigue and weakness. Due to metabolic disorders, the child is not receiving the required amount of energy, in connection with this, he lacks the strength for the whole day and, as a consequence, there is weakness. Such a violation also leads to a lag in development. The development of diabetes in adolescents prevents full-fledged communication with peers and the fulfillment of a school assignment.
If the disease has entered the active stage, then the signs of diabetes can dramatically increase. The child will start to drink a lot of fluids a day, but the skin and mucous membranes will be constantly dry. In addition, the unnatural color of the tongue can be alarming. At the moment of exacerbation of the disease, it becomes brightly crimson.
If the time is not given to the problem of due attention, then over time the child will experience a slowdown in development and growth. In addition, the symptoms of diabetes can be accompanied by an increase in the size of the liver due to the accumulation of fat and glycogen.
The development of diabetes is often accompanied by various mental disorders. The child does not sleep well, shows aggression, often cries.
Stages of diabetes
Depending on the degree of development of the disease, diabetes mellitus can be divided into several types:
- Type 1 diabetes. This species belongs to the insulin-dependent stage. In the body, the beta-cells of the pancreas are destroyed, which are responsible for the production of insulin. As a result, blood sugar levels increase dramatically.
- Type 2 diabetes. Non-insulin-independent stage. This period is characterized by a loss of sensitivity to the hormone produced by the body. In other words, the cells do not receive the right amount of glucose, and the excess sugar gets into the blood.
The disruption of the endocrine system can be diagnosed by a laboratory blood test. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct such a procedure on a regular basis.
Features of children's diabetes
Unfortunately, doctors came to the conclusion that the sooner the child becomes ill with diabetes, the longer and more difficult it will be to undergo treatment. In this regard, parents should take all possible measures to prevent negative consequences. Particular attention should be paid to children and adolescents who are at risk( having a hereditary predisposition).Regular blood tests and behavior monitoring will help to detect a diabetic problem in a timely manner. Especially important is such control in the period from 5 to 11 years.
Despite the similarity of childhood and adult symptoms, due to accelerated metabolism, the development of diabetes in a child occurs more rapidly. This is the main danger. The child may also develop labile diabetes, which is not suited to insulin therapy. If the course of diabetes is accompanied by frequent colds, then this only worsens the situation.
