According
to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRFI),
"every year over 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes."There
is no known cure for this stealthy disease that attacks and
destroys the beta cells that produce insulin. Symptoms
present themselves suddenly and progress rapidly.Knowing what symptoms to look for, if you suspect
juvenile diabetes has gripped your child, will lead you to
seek the medical counsel of a physician.
Know the
Symptoms:
The
need to urinate often.If your child has been potty trained and begins
wetting themselves frequently, consider juvenile
diabetes as a possibility.
Extreme
thirst and a keen desire for cold drinks that are sweet.
A
need to eat often and complaints of being hungry.
Eyesight
problems such as blurred vision.
Irritable.
Child
complains of nausea and is vomiting. (Acute symptoms
that need immediate attention)
Losing
weight while continuing to display a healthy appetite.
Listless,
tired, abnormally quiet.
Falling
into a coma.(A
life threatening condition that requires immediate
medical intervention)
It's not
always apparent that a child has type 1 or juvenile
diabetes.Some
of the symptoms seem like average childhood problems that
occur.Nausea
and/or vomiting can be misconstrued as the flu.Irritability, being tired and listless may be
attributed to behaviors all children exhibit at one time or
another.The
discovery of juvenile diabetes may happen during a visit to
a physician for another ailment such as a vaginal yeast
infection for girls or even a routine examination.
Untreated
diabetic children may display restless behavior and an
apathetic attitude when it comes to school.The inability to focus on tasks at hand leaves them somewhat
dysfunctional and frustrated.Rapid, deep breaths that have a fruity odor are
another more subtle sign that could easily be overlooked.The behaviors may go unnoticed by parents as symptoms
of juvenile diabetes until the child reaches diabetic
ketoacidosis.DKA
is a serious condition with the body receiving little or no
insulin and resulting in energy being produced by the
breakdown of fat.This
process causes ketones or acids to spill into the blood
stream as toxins.One
quarter of the children with juvenile diabetes has all ready
advanced to the level of diabetic ketoacidosis before seeing
a physician or being diagnosed. If
the juvenile diabetes continues to go untreated, the child
may lapse into a diabetic coma.
A diagnosis
is made through blood tests that target glucose levels and
urine tests that measure the level of ketones and glucose.The tests are far simpler to read than reading the
behaviors of your child and being able to pinpoint them as
potential symptoms of juvenile diabetes.With knowledge comes power and by knowing the
symptoms parents have the power to begin successful
management of type 1 diabetes giving their child the
opportunity for as normal a childhood as possible.
