Obesity is on the rise in the United States, and it isn’t news that many of the increasingly obese are children. Along with this trend has come another even more disturbing trend and that’s the rise of type 2 diabetes among children.
It is not always obvious that your child has contracted this disease since type 2 diabetes develops slowly and not all children exhibit any signs or symptoms. Here are the most common signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes:
1. Increased thirst and frequent urination. These two signs go hand in hand. If your child is thirsty, s/he will want to drink more. Drinking more will most likely cause your child to have to urinate more often. The increased thirst of someone suffering with diabetes is the result of sugar build up in the bloodstream. This increase in sugar causes the body to pull fluid from the tissues.
2. Increased hunger. In someone with type 2 diabetes, the cells of the body do not use insulin properly. When sugar is not moved into the cells or muscles, they get tired which causes the sufferer to be hungry.
3. Weight loss. Although your child may be eating more than normal due to this increased hunger, since the energy normally derived from the sugar is not reaching the cells, your child may actually lose weight. Your child’s muscle tissues and fat stores are actually shrinking as a result.
4. Fatigue. Due to the lack of insulin produced, your child may be tired and irritable since sugar is not reaching the cells of the body.
5. Blurred vision. When blood sugar is too high, fluid may be drawn away from the lenses of the eyes, which can affect the ability to focus clearly.
6. Slow-healing of sores and/or frequent infections. You may notice that infections and sores are slow to heal, which is a sign your child may have diabetes.
7. Areas of darkened skin. Acantosis nigricans is a sign of insulin resistance which causes dark, velvety skin in skin folds and creases such as in the armpits and the neck.
There are certain factors that put your child at higher risk to develop type 2 diabetes. A Body Mass Index (BMI) over the 85th percentile is one. Your child’s gender is another. Childhood diabetes tends to affect girls more than boys. Race also plays a factor. Diabetes is more prevalent amongst Asian-Americans, Hispanics, African-Americans and Native Americans. Your child is more at risk if s/he has a family member who suffers from type 2 diabetes. Children who are overweight and/or very inactive are also at higher risk for developing this disease.
Although type 2 diabetes is a serious and complex disease, it is treatable. If your child is displaying any of the signs or symptoms of type 2 diabetes, it is advisable to consult a medical professional as soon as possible. The sooner the diagnosis, the sooner treatment can begin.
When I learned that I (and my husband… and the cat!) had type 2 diabetes, I was confused and overwhelmed. But diabetes isn’t a big problem just at my house. It’s a big, growing issue just about everywhere. I decided to find out everything I can about type 2 diabetes that’ll help us, and others, keep it under control. Please visit me at my blog Taming Type 2 Diabetes.
categories: diabetes,disease,conditions,health,fitness,diet