Diabetes in children is the diabetes of the first type that develops in the young age in those people with genetic aptitude after endured viral infections.

The normal blood glucose level is 3.3 – 5.5 millimole/l. In case this level is over 10 millimole/l then it means that kidneys are not able to reabsorb glucose and thus sugar appears in the urine. Sugar as well as salt osmotically draws water thus the quantity of the urine increases. Therefore child starts to urinate more often and drink more liquid. As the virus damages the pancreas it decreases the amount of the insulin production. The lack of which prevents the glucose to be assimilated by the organism. It is a paradox though it is quite real situation when there is a plenty of glucose in the blood but the cells experience starvation and the child grows thin.

“I experience diabetes for 18 years already. My son is 5 years old. He doesn’t have diabetes yet, but I’m quite afraid that my genes will come into effect sooner or later and he will fall sick also. Please, let me know how I can prevent this disease in my son for a longer period of time”.

These are the words from the letter that we have received. This question is quite similar to those ones that endocrinologists answer to the parents whose children experience the diabetes. I’ll try to answer it however I’d like to talk about psychological matter of this disease.

Despite the fact that diabetes inherited aptitude is the scientifically proved fact it doesn’t mean that the child whose parents or other relatives experience diabetes will fall sick also. There is no need in waiting this moment with fatality. The fear and increased circumspection that make parents to treat their child as the sick one and guard him from everything he or she needs for normal physical and mental education may turn into negative influence that may be also aggravated by the child’s perception of the world around him as the quite dangerous thing.

I’d like to help you my readers – you need to overcome this fear in you as it will be quite useless in case your child will really get diabetes. However the firm confidence that you know everything you have to do will really help you and those people around yourself that are quite unaware about what the diabetes is. Unfortunately, diabetes is more often recorded in such “uneducated” families when it has already damaged the organism somehow. The disease is considered as the something really shocking in such type of the families despite the fact that there were quite enough signs of the diabetes that were left unnoticed. Thus, let’s try to find the way out how to avoid the fear and pay enough attention to possible signs of the disease. By doing this we will try to help too all children.

There is no clear answer for the question about the origins of the disease today. However it is quite clear that it comes due to complicated interaction of the inherited aptitude, viral infection and certain immunologic disorders. In case this occurs throughout childhood especially the early childhood then the primary or latent period of the diabetes may turn to be quite short one and parents may pay no attention to the fact that their child drinks more and consequently urinates more often including night urinations. The appetite of the child has also alternated – he is always hungry or vice versa he doesn’t eat anything at all. The child grows thin too fast, becomes too sluggish and sleepy. The guile of this period of the disease is in the absence of the common symptoms of the infantine sicknesses like increased body temperature, cough or rash… and while the parents are trying to understand what’s the matter the organism of the child looses its last forces trying to fight the developed diseases. Then it comes the time of such signs as vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain, respiration upset – it is the final of the latent period and the condition of the child worsens rapidly. In case there will be no emergency assistance throughout this period then the child may die.

Unfortunately the current statistics shows that two of the three children experiencing diabetes are delivered into the hospital in quite grave condition when the intensive treating is required. Later in this case the disease is more difficult to compensate and it causes corresponding complications. But if the medical assistance was provided a bit earlier then the situation considerably better.

However the period of the increased drinking is also considered by the doctors to be quite late one to diagnose the disease. Throughout this period of time the pancreas is already unable to produce the amount of insulin sufficient to sugar assimilation and the body requiring it starts to use its reserve resources in the overload condition. It is quite possible to assume the disease development in the earlier period according to certain signs. And in case the endocrinologist, laboratory observation will confirm the disorder of the pancreas and that the insulin production is decreased then it will not prevent the child from diabetes but it will help to slow down its development and those preserve the forces of the organism that are also required for study, growth, and other tasks. What are these signs?

- Increased wants of the sweets (organ and tissue cells assimilate it badly but still they need it).
- It becomes difficult to overcome the longer periods between food intakes, the hunger feeling becomes acute and corresponding ‘hungry” headaches appear.
- The feeling of weakness appears in 1.5-2 hours after the food intake.

These are the signs of the possible disease that may appear in many children and adults – all children like sweets and we all want to rest sometime after the dinner. Nevertheless these signs should be the reason of the visit to endocrinologist. And first of all with those children that has any relative experiencing diabetes (the degree of the relationship is not the matter).

The same thing should be done by the parents in case their child experiences these signs after certain dermal diseases like neurodermitis, furunculosis, pyodermia, ichthyosis, as well as after paradontitis and decreased vision. The visit to endocrinologist may confirm or deny this information.

By the way the possibility of the early diabetes diagnosis appeared not so long time ago. It implies certain tests aimed to reveal in the organism antibodies to beta-cells that produce insulin. In case the antibodies titer is quite high then it may be a sign of the possible disease.

These observations are quite important in the children diabetes prophylaxis and are to be held among the risk groups. The risk groups are formed from those children that have increased possibility of getting diabetes than their contemporaries. The doctors define this according such factors as:

- the child has relatives experiencing diabetes;
- the weight of the child was over 4.5 kg at the birth;
- the child already experiences another metabolism disorders;
- the immunity is decreased due to certain reason.

I will repeat it doesn’t mean that those children experiencing all (or some of) those features will get the diabetes as a result. But they have an aptitude to it that may turn into real disease due to certain external factors. Commonly these provoking factors are overcome infectious disease or severe stress.

But these children don’t need ideal conditions around them. They need to train their immunity, provide completed and balanced nutrition with sufficient vitamins dosage and without the sweets excess (with the aim not to overload the pancreas), and rational way of living.

Review

So, let’s repeat the most important things once more.

Which children are more amenable to diabetes?

1. Those having relatives with such disease.
2. Those experiencing other metabolism disorders.
3. Those children that were over 4.5 kg at the birth.
4. Those children with decreased immunity.

Which events may provoke diabetes?

1. Viral infectious disease.
2. Severe stress.

What may be a sign of the diabetes development?

1. The child needs too many sweets.
2. It is quite difficult for the child to overcome longer periods between the food intakes. The child suffers from hunger feeling.
3. The child feels too weak in 1.5-2 hours after the eating.

What are the symptoms of the already developed diabetes?

1. Increased thirsty and urination.
2. Sharp appetite alternation.
3. Rapid loss of the weight.
4. Drowsiness, irritability, increased tiredness.

What parents should do to prevent their child from diabetes?

1. First of all they should evaluate the risk of getting diabetes.
2. Consult the endocrinologist and read popular medical literature.
3. Hardening, regular physical exercises, and positive psychological microclimate in the family all these prophylactic measures will help your child to resist such provoking factors as stresses and infections.
4. Have a mercy on child’s pancreas.
5. Use fresh berries, juices and fruits instead of sweets and cakes.
6. Teachers, tutors and doctors shall be aware of the fact that your child is amenable to diabetes.
7. The most important point is that you have not to make it possible to reveal the disease at its late stage.
8. Consult endocrinologist at first signs of the disease.
9. In case your child condition is worse already and doctor decided to deliver the child to the hospital then let him or her know about the possible diagnosis. Then the child will be delivered into proper department – into endocrinology department and not into the surgery or infectious one.