Parents can tell if their child is a diabetic by paying attention to potential symptoms, including extreme tiredness and excessive thirst. — Jörg Carstensen/dpa
More and more children and adolescents are developing diabetes as obesity and overweight increase in these age groups, the World Health Organization warns.
Diabetes, an incurable, chronic metabolic disease, can lead to serious health problems if not managed.
It’s characterised by high blood sugar (glucose) levels due to insufficient production or function of insulin, a hormone that allows glucose to enter cells to produce energy.
There are two main types.
The overwhelming majority of people wit diabetes have type 2, which is often associated with an unhealthy lifestyle and obesity, and used to occur nearly entirely among adults.
But type 1, in which genetic predisposition is thought to play a role, is still by far the most frequent type in children and adolescents.
How can parents tell if their child is a diabetic?
Paediatric diabetologist Dr Andreas Neu, vice president of the German Diabetes Society (DDG), points to several possible symptoms:
> Excessive thirst: Drinking an unusual amount of fluids during the day and sometimes at night as well could be an initial red flag for diabetes.
Elevated blood sugar levels cause thirst.
> Frequent urination: A child who drinks a lot naturally has to pee a lot as well.
The urge can not only strike in daytime, but at nighttime too.
“Sometimes the child will suddenly wet their bed again despite having long stopped,” Dr Neu says.
> Weight loss without trying: A child losing weight is always a warning sign, he says, since children normally gain weight.
This, in combination with the other red flags, is definitely an indication that something is amiss.
> Extreme tiredness: A further possible sign is conspicuous tiredness, lethargy, lack of enthusiasm, or uncharacteristically poor performance at school.
If all the aforementioned red flags are present, parents should act promptly.
It’s easy, Dr Neu says.
First a diagnosis is necessary.
Simply testing a urine sample or drop of blood can tell a paediatrician or general practitioner whether the child has diabetes.
It takes just five minutes, and parents then have certainty.
If the child is found to be a diabetic, specialists will inform the parents and child about how to manage the disease.
Many parents of children with type 1 diabetes wonder whether they may have done something to encourage its development.
They haven’t, says Dr Neu: “No one is at fault.”
Nothing can prevent type 1 diabetes, he explains, not a healthier diet nor more exercise.
After a positive diagnosis has been made, however, the child should maintain a balanced diet and get plenty of exercise. – dpa
