In 2021, as many as 35 in 100,000 people under 20 had some form of diagnosed diabetes in the United States.
Pediatric diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2, can pose significant health challenges for children and adolescents, and yet everything from diagnosing the right condition to ensuring consistent treatment can be more difficult than it is for adults.
If your child has been diagnosed with pediatric diabetes, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed. To make the process a bit more straightforward, there are some vital things you need to know about the condition and its treatment.
What Is Childhood Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus, either Type 1 or Type 2, that is diagnosed during childhood, is pediatric diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which your child’s immune system attacks cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. This results in little to no insulin being naturally made within their body. Without insulin, your child’s body isn’t able to effectively process the sugar in their blood.
Signs of Type 1 diabetes include:
- Bed-wetting
- Unusual thirst levels
- Weight loss
- Frequent urination
- Blurry vision
- Irritability
- Fatigue
Type 2 diabetes involves your child’s body not producing enough insulin or having cells that have developed insulin resistance. Until recently, this type of pediatric diabetes has been less common than Type 1, but that’s changing as more children are diagnosed with obesity, which is a risk factor.
The signs of Type 2 diabetes in children are almost identical to those of Type 1, but they can also include darkened areas of skin around the armpits and groin. Frequent infections are a concern, too.
Getting an Accurate Diagnosis Is Not Simple for Children
Pediatric diabetes is much more difficult to diagnose than diabetes in adults. One factor is that children may not be able to explain what they’re experiencing as clearly, delaying the process.
Both of these conditions appear with signs that could overlap with other illnesses. For example, a child with a urinary tract infection may feel the need to urinate more often and have increased thirst, which could be mistaken for diabetes.
Not only is it difficult to distinguish pediatric diabetes from other conditions, but it is also complex to tell Type 1 and Type 2 apart. Some children may have obesity and even insulin resistance, but they have Type 1 instead of Type 2.
The difficulties in diagnosing the condition can delay treatment. This delay could put your child at risk of health complications.
Treating Pediatric Diabetes Can Be Just as Challenging
It’s essential to treat pediatric diabetes in order to prevent other health issues from developing. If they go untreated for too long, both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can cause heart and blood vessel disease, kidney damage, vision problems, and all manner of infections, including those that could result in pulmonary issues.
It can be very challenging to consistently keep up with treatment, however, because it can be difficult to communicate with children about their health conditions. Young kids have unpredictable activity and eating patterns, too, which makes insulin and glucose management sometimes feel almost impossible.
For Type 1 diabetes, treatment includes introducing insulin into the body. It can be done via injections and pumps, which can be frightening for children and make them resistant to their treatment.
Type 2 diabetes requires making lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating healthier foods, and exercising. None of that is simple for adults to achieve, let alone children. They can experience peer pressure from friends to eat things they shouldn’t, and it can be much harder for parents to monitor them during school hours.
Another challenge for children who have Type 2 diabetes is that the condition can develop and progress much faster than it does in adults. Treatment has to be able to keep up to avoid serious health issues.
Pediatric Diabetes Takes a Toll on Parents
Although it’s your child who’s experiencing the symptoms of pediatric diabetes, you can be just as overwhelmed and scared. The need to constantly monitor blood sugar and glucose levels and ensure your child is adhering to treatment can quickly take over your life, putting you at risk of burnout.
Having a child who is ill can be an isolating experience. That’s especially the case with very young children who need constant monitoring. You may not be able to spend time away from your child, and that may cause you to avoid social activities. This can have a serious effect on your mental health and overall quality of life.
Despite knowing that these conditions don’t point to any parental failures, feelings of guilt are common. Parents may think that they could have prevented childhood diabetes in some way, which can add a layer of emotional complication to an already fraught situation. It could even lead to relationship strains between parents.
Management of Pediatric Diabetes Is Possible
Despite all of the difficulties that pediatric diabetes poses, managing the condition is certainly possible. With help from medical experts, you can get an accurate diagnosis and start offering your child the support they need.
Treatment can vary depending on the type of diabetes involved. For Type 1, your pediatrician will decide on the right way to introduce insulin into your child’s system, depending on their age and the severity of the condition.
Type 2 diabetes requires making a number of lifestyle changes, so it can take a bit longer to adjust to. The challenges these changes pose will also depend on your child’s age and ability to understand and accept the need for the lifestyle modifications.
Newport Children’s Medical Group Can Help with Diabetes Care
If your child has been diagnosed with diabetes or if they have some of the signs that could point to this condition, getting a treatment plan in place is vital. At Newport Children’s Medical Group, we can assist you in understanding the type of pediatric diabetes your patient has and what healthcare is needed.
Contact our team to schedule an appointment with our pediatric care to learn more about diabetes.