Juvenile Diabetes Symptoms

Juvenile diabetes is diagnosed in over 30 US children a day and is most prevalent in Scandinavia, where almost 20% of the population are type 1 diabetics. Juvenile diabetes symptoms include unusual hunger or thirst, loss of weight, numbness of limbs, frequent urination, especially at night, and constant drowsiness. There are other symptoms as well, but children that manifest one or more of these symptoms should be thoroughly tested by a pediatrician to rule out the disease. A physician can do a battery of tests on a child that exhibits these physical problems such as a blood, urine, glycohemoglobin, glucose-tolerance and blood sugar tests. Child diabetics must receive an early diagnosis and treatment in order to effectively manage the illness through a normal, healthy lifetime.

This form of diabetes is now commonly categorized as type 1 and is caused by a lack of insulin that is normally produced by the pancreas in a healthy body. The lack of insulin must be balanced by proper treatment protocols in order to establish normal or near normal insulin levels in a patient. The proper amount of insulin regulates the bodies' reaction to typical intakes of sugar, but diabetics cannot metabolize sugar properly. This causes a spill over effect of the sugar into the urine then passes out of the body without being properly broken down for the body's use. If juvenile diabetes symptoms are not treated properly, the lack of insulin can cause severe damage to bodily organs such as the kidneys, heart, nervous system, and eyes.

Kidney damage, heart attacks, strokes, blindness, ulcers on the feet, and problems with digestion are just some of the complications that diabetics who are untreated can experience over their lifetime. Untreated juvenile diabetes can also lead to death, which makes its early diagnosis critical for the immediate survival as well as long term health of many patients. The causes of the disease are not specifically known, but heredity is a point of reference for many patients. Unlike type 2, overeating, obesity, age and lack of exercise is irrelevant to the illness. It is more commonly associated with family members who may have the disease and may pass the predisposition on to relatives. Scientists have found that those who present with symptoms generally have some sort of auto immune dysfunction that relates to their onset of the disorder.

There seems to be a racial connection to the development of type 1 and there are more Caucasian diabetics than in other races. This seems to account for the high incidents of the disease in Scandinavia and the much lower incidents in countries like Japan or China where less than 1% of the population develops type 1. The basic treatment for juvenile diabetes is insulin injections or monitored insulin pump treatment. Those who are diagnosed with the illness cannot survive without adequate amounts of insulin or their organs will begin to deteriorate rapidly. The physical condition is not one that may correct itself with medical therapy, exercise and healthy eating. Some people that present with type 2 diabetes have found that they can regulate the problem if they lose weight, eat right, exercise and carefully monitor their blood sugar levels.

Those with type 1, however, do not respond to a change of lifestyle as those who have type 2 diabetes. Since the bodies of type 1 diabetics do not manufacture and process insulin correctly, it must be processed artificially through lifelong medical treatments. That is not to say, however, that diet and exercise does not play a large role in the physical maintenance of those who have juvenile diabetes symptoms. A carefully planned diet along with a regimen of exercise is part of an overall treatment program. A careful watch of blood glucose levels is also required which can be more difficult for child diabetics. The lifestyle of a growing youngster can be hampered by health concerns from a very young age and dealing with daily testing and insulin shots can be difficult. Thankfully, however, modern science has produced easier testing methods that are not as painful as they have been in previous years.

Insulin pumps, that can regulate the correct amount of insulin automatically for a patient, are also available for those who meet the patient criteria for this method. This offers a safe, easy way to receive the proper amount of daily insulin for juvenile diabetes patients without the typical hassles of daily injections. While living with the illness is not easy, especially for a child or family, it is possible today for a child to live well into old age with proper treatment and long term monitoring. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6) Juvenile diabetes symptoms are not only difficult to endure for a youngster, but they are also painful for a parent who must watch their child learn to manage a difficult illness. Modern medicine has helped pave the way for better methods of treatment which has helped alleviate many of the problems of yesteryear. This in turn, has helped both parents and children to discover that it's possible to live an almost normal life as a diabetic.


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