Symptoms of Juvenile Diabetes June 11, 2010 No Comments
Youngster checking blood sugar
We all wish our children to be fit and healthy. But at times parents do overreact because of this. Who has not rushed a child to the hospital only to find it is something trivial.
Nevertheless, you will find some serious diseases and conditions out there which must be given greater attention. Near the top of that list is Juvenile diabetes. Juvenile diabetes, or diabetes type 1 to give it the modern medical term, is a chronic condition which commonly appears during early teenage years often with the onset of puberty, which is where original name of juvenile diabetes came in..
Juvenile diabetes is very different from type 2 diabetes as it represents a failure of the pancreas to either not produce enough insulin or not create insulin at all. Type 2 diabetes can arise from a variety of causes but the main factor in it is a resistance to insulin preventing it from carrying out its task of moving glucose from the blood into the cells. Insulin is a substance created by the pancreas and it is essential to regulating blood sugar levels. Without it, levels fluctuate greatly causing severe health problems both in the short term such as coma and in the longer term damage to nerves, eyes, heart, liver and kidneys.
A cousin of mine was found to have juvenile diabetes at the age of 15. However, it took a few months before his condition was identified as diabetes even though his father was in the medical profession. It started when he needed to use the bathroom at much more frequent intervals. This happens as a result of the kidneys trying to filter the excess glucose from the blood. This then causes the body to need to replace the lost fluids and in his case it made him thirsty most of the time.
His family assumed the excess urination was caused by drinking too much rather than the other way round. This assumption is responsible for the symptoms of juvenile diabetes being missed in many cases.
His weight began to fall off quite rapidly. This is caused by lack of glucose getting to the cells and the body then starts using the stored fat for energy. His appetite increased and he started eating much more than before, which is hardly unusual for a teenager, but certainly was in the context of the weight loss. He also started tiring very easily and developed headaches – both are common symptoms of juvenile diabetes.
The frightening thing about juvenile diabetes is how fast the severe side effects appear. If it is left untreated juvenile diabetes will seriously damage the health of a young person with eye damage and kidney damage occurring surprisingly quickly.
If your teenager is suddenly having to drink a lot, visit the bathroom frequently and has increased appetite and weight loss a very early medical consultation is essential. Not everyone will get all the juvenile diabetes symptoms but the urination and thirst are very common.
