It is important for parents to know the type 1 diabetes symptoms in children if the condition is to be diagnosed early for better management. Although diabetes has no cure, it requires a lifestyle change in order to manage it, and the sooner you can train your child to live with the condition, the better and faster they will be able to adjust. Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, so though it is believed to be inherited, there is very little that parents can do to keep their children from developing diabetes. However, if diabetes is common in your family, then you should be aware of the type 1 diabetes symptoms in children to look out for.
Main symptoms
Type 1 diabetes is the most common diabetes form in children. About 90% to 95% of children below 16 years who are living with diabetes have diabetes type 1. The type 1 diabetes symptoms in children tend to develop over a few weeks, and the earlier symptoms include increased thirst, weight loss, tiredness and frequent urination.
Urination
Since the body is unable to properly utilize glucose, there is an increased concentration of the same in the blood, which means that the kidneys have to flush this out through urine, thus increased urination results. A child who would not normally wet their bed would suddenly begin bed wetting on a regular.
Thirst and weight loss
As part of the type 1 diabetes symptoms, increased thirst will occur at the same time that urination has increased. This is because the body requires a certain amount of water at all times, but frequent urination compromises this. As such, the child will experience abnormal thirst as the body tries to get hydrated. Weight loss comes about because the body cells are deprived of glucose. In order to make up for this, the muscles and stored fat begin to be broken down to provide energy for these body cells.
Tiredness
Low energy that leads to tiredness is also one of the type 1 diabetes symptoms in children. Because the body cells are deprived of glucose from food and has to use stored body fat, this is not enough to provide the kind of energy that a normal child has. Your child may therefore have low energy and complain of always feeling tired. This may also be accompanied by other type 1 diabetes symptoms in children, including tummy pains, headaches and behavior problems.
Diagnosis and treatment
Once you notice type 1 diabetes symptoms in children, it is important that you seek medical attention for them so that proper diagnosis can confirm whether the symptoms are caused by diabetes or another problem. Most children with diabetes will require insulin treatment, which will mean that your child gets personalized insulin routine that can only prescribed by a diabetes specialist. In addition to insulin treatment, good glucose control and avoidance of low glucose attacks is also important. There are hospital teams and social services that provide support when your family has to live with diabetes.