Diabetes mellitus symptoms in children Komarovsky. My child has diabetes - how to live with it? Decreased motor ability

Diabetes mellitus is a very serious metabolic disorder that prevents the body from breaking down and absorbing food, especially sugars (carbohydrates) normally. This disease can have a damaging effect on the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and nervous system, eventually leading to progressive loss of vision over many years.

Forms of diabetes

There are several forms of diabetes, but the most common are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Both forms can occur at any age, but a child will almost always be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is due to insufficient production

pancreas special hormone - insulin.
When this happens, the body stops metabolizing the sugars properly and they build up in the blood. These sugars (mostly glucose) cannot be used by the body without being processed and are excreted in the urine. This process is accompanied by special symptoms that indicate the onset of diabetes mellitus:

frequent urination;
constant thirst;
increased appetite;
weight loss.

Type 1 diabetes can begin in a person at any age, but periods of particular risk are approximately 5–6 years and then 11–13 years.

The first sign of the onset of the disease is often an increase in the frequency and volume of urination. This is especially noticeable at night and can also manifest itself in the form of relapses of enuresis in children who have long learned to go to the potty without problems. So take children's complaints of constant thirst and fatigue seriously, and pay special attention to the child's weight loss despite his increased appetite.

It is important to identify these symptoms as early as possible and, if diabetes mellitus is suspected, to immediately undergo a full examination with the child.

Because late-diagnosed children are already severely affected by the disease: due to high blood sugar and dehydration, these patients require intravenous insulin and fluid replacement as a pediatric emergency to stabilize their condition.

Diabetes control

Although there is no cure for diabetes, children with diabetes can have normal childhoods and adolescences if their disease is under control. It is extremely important to control the course of diabetes in order to avoid complications.

Management of the disease consists of routine monitoring of blood sugar levels, insulin therapy (using multiple tests and injections throughout the day), and strict adherence to the principles of a healthy diet. Keeping your blood sugar within the normal range at all times can reduce the chance of high (hyperglycemia) or low (hypoglycemia) blood sugar symptoms and long-term health problems associated with poor diabetes control.

In addition to a healthy diet, a child with diabetes should get at least thirty minutes a day of moderate exercise and be able to respond appropriately to signals from their body by telling their parents or injecting themselves.

What can parents of children with diabetes do?

By supporting your child and teaching them self-diagnosis and self-care techniques, you will not only develop life skills, but also teach them to take responsibility for disease control while maintaining independence.

Children over the age of seven usually already have enough fine motor skills to inject insulin under adult supervision. They can also check their blood sugar several times a day using simple test strips and a glucometer. First, these self-help techniques, of course, should be honed under the supervision of adults familiar with the principles of helping patients with diabetes. So, before you trust your child to take care of himself, make sure that he is doing everything right - in accordance with the recommendations of the attending physician.

If your child takes too much insulin, their blood sugar levels can become too low (hypoglycemia), causing symptoms such as shaking, fast heartbeat, nausea, fatigue, weakness, and even blackouts.
If your child takes too little insulin, the main symptoms of diabetes (weight loss, increased urination, thirst, and appetite) can return very quickly.

The formation of diabetes management skills in childhood has a huge impact on the rest of life - the habit of managing one's disease persists in the future, which allows one to behave almost like a physically healthy person and significantly improve the quality and length of life.

If you feel unprepared to fully help your child live with diabetes, get in touch with active parent groups where parents of children with diabetes can discuss common concerns. Ask your doctor about this - perhaps he will recommend something for your question.

One of the main elements of replenishing the body's strength is sugar. To check the blood sugar level in children, it is not necessary to go to the doctor, you can do it at home, with the support of a glucometer. This is the whole simplicity of checking the body for sugar levels at home, because the procedure itself takes a couple of minutes, and it takes another couple of minutes to wait for the result. As everyone knows, children are more susceptible to a variety of diseases, and in order to prevent a large part of these diseases, blood sugar levels in children should be monitored. Even with due attention and care, it will be possible to figure out how food and physical activity affect the body.

Regularity of checking sugar

For best results, checking your blood sugar should be regular and become a habit. When measuring the level of sugar in the body, it is necessary to prick the finger, but it is best to prick the side, and not into the pad itself, since the side of the finger is much less susceptible to pain.

If the child is being tested by a doctor, then it is better to remember the result, or write it down in order to compare them with a home glucometer in the future.

As already mentioned above, at home the sugar level is checked at. Sometimes you can hear such a name - self-testing, usually it is said that when a person independently checks the blood sugar level in children or himself at home.

Glucometer for home use

If a misfortune occurred, and yet the diagnosis was confirmed in a child, then it is necessary to strengthen the control of the blood sugar range and keep it at the same, constant level.

If everything is fine, and everything is in order with the sugar level, then you just need to check the child twice a day, early in the morning, before meals, and in the evening. There are situations when the doctor prescribes insulin, if such a situation occurs, then it is required to check the sugar level more than 3 times a day, for constant monitoring.

Is it important to monitor blood sugar levels? Yes, this is very important, because with regular checks of the body, a person can prevent a relapse and help himself or his loved ones in time:

If the blood sugar level in a child is elevated, then this negatively affects various internal organs. It is possible that it will be diagnosed in childhood, then the risk of complications increases, since it is much more difficult for the child's body to maintain proper functioning.
If a child has, then it is best to have a snack with something sweet, for example, a chocolate bar.
If insulin is prescribed, then after the tests, an answer will be received to the question: How much insulin to inject?
Often, the level of sugar in the blood of a child is affected not only by food, but also by various diseases and stresses.
If it stays at the same level for a long time, then you may need to change the dose of insulin, but before that you need to consult a specialist.

In a child, checking the body for sugar levels should become a habit, and the points below will help to accustom him to this.

First of all, you will need to consult with your doctor so that he can tell you how to monitor your blood sugar levels, and when to do it. To monitor the body, you should use a special form in which you want to enter the results of the glucometer.

For a child to do this procedure on their own, it is necessary to instill it in him, for this it is simply necessary that it becomes a habit in the child.

For convenience, you can create a list of things necessary for this procedure, this will help even if the test needs to be carried out as quickly as possible, and in order not to look for all the things, do not understand where, it will be enough to look into the list and see everything there .

It is best to check the meter before each use.

It is necessary to constantly check the expiration date of specialized strips, because if it comes out, then use these strips, then the result will be incorrect.

You need to check the special code that is on the device and special strips, if this code is different, then you will need to use the instructions and use it to replace the codes.

It is necessary to double-check the results of the glucometer, for this you can use a special sugar solution, which is produced by the company that made the glucometer, do not forget about the instructions, before the first use it is best to act in conjunction with the instructions.

The glucometer must be checked after a certain time, this period can be found in the instructions from the manufacturer. It's best to keep all your meter accessories in a designated place, or your child's bag, for their own use of the item.

in children from 1 to 10 years:

up to 1 year - 2.8-4.4 mmol / l;
2-3 years - 3.3-5.0 mmol / l;
6-7 years - 3.3-5.5 mmol / l;
10 years - The same as in children over 5 years of age, and in adults, namely 3.3-5.5 mmol / l.

Conducting an analysis

If the child has type 2 diabetes, then it is necessary to check the blood sugar level 1-2 times a day, but if the child does not have type 2 diabetes, then the check will need to be done a little more often. The more often it is carried out, the more a person learns about his condition, as well as at what level sugar is usually in the body.

How to conduct a blood sugar test:

Wash your hands clean;
Change the needle in the device;
Take a new strip from the case, after taking out the strip, you need to close the case as soon as possible to avoid damaging the remaining strips;
Prepare a glucometer;
Make a puncture in the finger;
Drop on a special strip of blood;
Wait for the end of the study, view the result, and then write it down in a specialized form.

How to write down the result

The main thing in monitoring blood sugar levels is the right approach, and timely recording of the result. In order for the attending physician to more accurately determine the treatment, he needs to see how the sugar level fluctuates throughout the day, this will help determine the correct dose of insulin.

The main thing is not to forget to take the results of self-testing when going to the doctor. It is advisable to use a glucometer that has a save function. There are a huge number of such models, there are even those that store up to 100 operations.

How to reduce the number of punctures

With the proper approach to conducting a self-test, after some time there is a problem with a large number of wounds on the finger of a child or an adult. With each procedure, you should try not to pierce the tip of your finger, because in this place there is increased sensitivity, and when this place is punctured, prolonged pain will be experienced.

Do not try to squeeze your finger during a puncture, this will only interfere. If, after the puncture, blood did not appear on the needle, then you should lower your hand and count to 5-10, then squeeze your finger at the base and go down along the base of the finger to the puncture site.

It is advisable to take blood from a child from different fingers so that there are not a large number of wounds on one. In the form for entering the results of the procedure, you should also record the time and place of the puncture so as not to damage the skin next time.

It is important to remember that the needle is disposable, and with repeated use it will be much more painful than the first time, since after 1 use it becomes dull.

Video: Dr. Komarovsky about diabetes in children:

How does the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus manifest itself - symptoms in children

Severe illnesses in children are always a cause for concern for parents. Diabetes mellitus is one of these ailments, because it requires constant treatment and nutrition control.

So what are the symptoms of diabetes in children, how to recognize and confirm the diagnosis, and how to conduct competent treatment in order to protect the baby from complications in the future.

And how to ensure the healthy development of the body, as well as how to carry out prevention to effectively reduce the risk of children's diabetes of various types?

The reasons

Diabetes mellitus (DM) in children is the second most common chronic disease in the world.

Many superficially believe that the main symptom of diabetes is a lack of insulin in the body, but this is true only for 1 type of disease, with type 2, on the contrary, insulin is normal or elevated, but the tissues lose their ability to interact with the hormone.

The disease causes more problems, especially in children: it is difficult for them to be among their peers, they may have problems with growth and development, severe cardiovascular complications at an older age.

The hormone insulin allows glucose to pass from the circulatory system into the cells, where it serves as a catalyst and fuel for them at the same time.

Insulin, in turn, is produced by beta cells, which are located in the pancreas on the so-called islet of Langers. In a healthy body, after each meal, a large amount of insulin enters the body, which acts on the cells according to the “key-lock” scheme, slightly opening the entrance to their surface and allowing glucose to penetrate inside.

As a result, the concentration of sugar in the blood decreases. If the hormone insulin in the blood is not enough, then glucose is released into the blood from the reserve, namely from the liver, to maintain a normal sugar concentration.

Glucose and insulin constantly interact in feedback. However, if the immune system for some reason begins to kill beta cells and there are less than 20% of them, the body simply loses the ability to produce enough insulin, which means that sugar cannot enter the cells and accumulates in the circulatory system. As a result, the cells starve without fuel, and the patient develops signs of type 1 diabetes.

Unlike children with type 1 diabetes, in type 2 diabetes insulin is still produced, but still the insulin produced by the person is still not enough, or he simply does not recognize insulin and, as a result, does not use it correctly. Most often, it occurs as a result of insulin resistance - loss of sensitivity of pancreatic tissue to insulin.

What is the soil for diabetes?

Why does diabetes occur in babies? Unfortunately, the causes of type 1 insulin deficiency are still not exactly known. The only clearly identified cause of diabetes is genetics, which then “manifests” after illnesses such as rubella or influenza.

The occurrence of symptoms of type 2 diabetes is most often due to overweight and overeating, as well as high blood pressure in a child.

Symptoms

The first signs of type 1 diabetes in toddlers and teens tend to come on suddenly and get worse over just a few weeks. At the first symptoms, it is necessary to show the child to the doctor and pass the necessary tests, or simply measure fasting blood sugar with a glucometer. Ignoring symptoms can lead to complications or even death.

An important symptom of diabetes is constant thirst. The reason for this is that the body begins to draw water from cells and tissues in order to reduce the concentration of sugar in the blood through dilution. It is important that during this period the child does not drink too many sugary drinks.

Frequent urination can also be a symptom of diabetes in children. This symptom appears rather as a consequence of the previous one. A diabetic patient drinks an excess amount of fluid that needs to "exit" the body. The child may often take time off from school to use the toilet or "pee" at night in bed. If this happens, don't ignore it.

The first sign of type 1 diabetes is strong and fast weight loss. The body simply burns its own muscles and fats due to the fact that it loses the main source of energy - glucose. The child can eat like crazy, while continuing to lose weight at a rapid pace.

The manifestation of primary symptoms in young children is most important, since infants cannot complain to their parents about pain. If you notice that the baby is constantly hungry, but does not get better, has diaper rash in the groin, which is practically not treated, constantly urinates with a sticky liquid with a white coating, has dry and flaky skin, then you need to urgently check the child for diabetes.

Other pronounced signs of diabetes in children are chronic fatigue, constant feeling of hunger and blurred vision.

Over time, the symptoms of the disease become more acute: the child develops a severe headache and dizziness, constant vomiting, heart pain, loss of consciousness and, ultimately, a coma.

Unfortunately, parents often rely on "maybe" and ignore obvious reasons for concern and pay attention to the disease only after the child enters intensive care. That is why it is necessary to take measures in time and just measure sugar with a glucometer if the child has clinical symptoms or if there is a “bad” heredity.

Many risk factors, such as heredity, cannot be removed, but some are still subject to parents. For example, it is better not to start feeding the baby too early: if possible, up to 6 months, the baby should eat only breast milk, while artificial feeding increases the risk of diabetes.

How diabetes manifests itself in infants and newborns up to a year:

Diagnostics

If parents have noticed the symptoms of diabetes described above in their child, then the best way to check the diagnosis is to measure the blood glucose content using a special glucometer device. It is not necessary to do an analysis at home using the apparatus on an empty stomach, but it is desirable. If this is not possible, then you can donate blood for sugar at any clinic.

Diabetes mellitus is diagnosed when the symptoms of diabetes are combined with blood glucose levels. To make an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to pass an analysis for glycated hemoglobin. The hemoglobin index in the analysis should be above 5.7%.

True, sometimes the first and second types of diabetes in a child can be distinguished purely visually by body weight: a child with obesity and high blood pressure is often a carrier of the second type of diabetes.

Treatment

Unfortunately, diabetes in children cannot be completely cured, it can only be stopped.

Diabetes mellitus does not know that today you have a day off, a holiday or, conversely, a busy day, it requires constant monitoring.

It is worth initially being prepared for the fact that the diagnosis of "diabetes mellitus" in a child will haunt him all his life.

However, sooner or later, the parents and the child adapt: as a result, all treatment processes take the family no more than 20 minutes a day, living an ordinary life the rest of the time.

You should also not forget that as the child grows, the treatment should be adjusted, namely, the menu and dosage of insulin administered should change.

Parents should be in full control of treatment, which includes:

Measuring blood sugar(required only for type 1 diabetics). Sugar should be measured at least 4-5 times a day. It is worth purchasing a test glucometer and test strips that will qualitatively display the current state of the child;
Insulin injections. Insulin injections are necessary for every type 1 diabetic, regardless of age - only they allow a person to survive and lead a normal existence. Insulin tablets break down in the stomach and are not effective. It is worth noting that in the second type of diabetes, insulin injections are not required - it is only necessary to take drugs that reduce the absorption of glucose in tablets;
Keeping an illness diary
Diet low in carbohydrates;
Constant physical activity;
Effective weight loss for type 2 diabetics.

Complications

The worst complication of diabetes is ketoacidosis. This disease is severe and can lead to coma or death. Features of the course of ketoacidosis are that the level of acetone in the blood rises, a person begins to feel pain in the abdomen, nausea, and rapid heartbeat. After a while, the person loses consciousness and falls into a coma.

Diabetes can also cause complications such as damage to the retina. (retinopathy), kidney failure (nephropathy), impaired mobility of the joints (hairopathy).

Prevention

The primary prevention of the disease in children lies in the complete control of blood sugar in order to prevent the development of diabetes in principle.

Secondary prevention includes a low-carbohydrate diet, moderate exercise, and avoidance of stressful situations.

If the child has already been diagnosed, it is worth not for a minute to forget about the treatment, in every possible way to avoid the occurrence of complications.

There are no magic pills, a violation of insulin production requires daily treatment, the absence of which can cause deviations in the development of the child and even lead to the fact that he simply becomes disabled.

Useful video

Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky on how to identify diabetes, determine the type and role of sugar in the lives of our children:

Diabetes is not a sentence if the whole family realizes that the situation is really serious and, if treatment is ignored, it can end badly. Children with diabetes who are properly treated are able to develop normally, function and be on par with their peers.

Komarovsky about diabetes in children: the first signs and symptoms of the disease

Dr. Komarovsky claims that diabetes in children is most often insulin-dependent, in which the pancreas stops producing a hormone that converts glucose into energy. This is a chronic autoimmune progressive disease, during which the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans are destroyed. It is worth noting that during the period of the onset of primary symptoms, most of these cells have already undergone destruction.

Often, type 1 diabetes is caused by hereditary factors. So, if someone close to the child had chronic hyperglycemia, then the probability that the disease will be detected in him is 5%. And the risk of developing the disease of 3 identical twins is about 40%.

Sometimes during adolescence, type 2 diabetes, also called insulin-dependent, can develop. Komarovsky notes that with this form of the disease, ketoacidosis appears only due to severe stress.

Also, a large proportion of people with acquired diabetes are overweight, which often causes insulin resistance, which can contribute to impaired glucose tolerance. In addition, the secondary form of the disease can develop due to a malfunction of the pancreas or an excess of glucocorticoids.

Signs of Diabetes in Children

Talking about the symptoms of chronic hyperglycemia in a child, Komarovsky focuses the attention of parents on the fact that the disease manifests itself very quickly. This can often lead to the development of disability, which is explained by the peculiarities of child physiology. These include instability of the nervous system, increased metabolism, strong motor activity, underdevelopment of the enzymatic system, due to which it cannot fully fight ketones, which causes a diabetic coma.

However, as mentioned above, a child sometimes has type 2 diabetes. Although such a violation is not common, because most parents try to monitor the health of their children.

The symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are similar. The first manifestation is the consumption of copious amounts of liquid. This is due to the fact that water passes from the cells into the blood to dilute the sugar. Therefore, a child drinks up to 5 liters of water per day.

Also one of the leading signs of chronic hyperglycemia is polyuria. Moreover, in children, urination often occurs during sleep, because a lot of liquid was drunk the day before. In addition, mothers often write on forums that if a child’s underwear dries out before washing, then it becomes as if starched to the touch.

Many more diabetics lose weight. This is due to the fact that with a deficiency of glucose, the body begins to break down muscle and fat tissues.

If there are diabetes mellitus symptoms in children, Komarovsky claims they may manifest with vision problems. After all, dehydration of the body is reflected in the eye lens.

As a result, a veil appears before the eyes. However, this phenomenon is no longer considered a sign, but a complication of diabetes, which requires an immediate examination by an ophthalmologist.

In addition, a change in the behavior of the child may indicate endocrine disorders. This is due to the fact that the cells do not receive enough glucose, which causes energy hunger and the patient becomes inactive and irritable.

The development of diabetes in a child, how to help him?

Diabetes is a way of life, and not only for the patient himself, but for his entire family. This is especially clearly seen when diabetes is detected in children. It is considered one of the most common chronic diseases encountered in childhood and even causes disability and delayed physical development. You can often find posts about him on parent forums and blogs. Therefore, the symptoms and signs of diabetes in children need to be known to every parent in order to consult a doctor in time, who will prescribe the correct treatment and diet.

Features of the disease in children

In childhood, type 1 diabetes is more common, associated with insufficient insulin production and characterized by obvious and dangerous symptoms. This hormone is secreted by the pancreas according to the feedback principle, that is, in response to an increase in the concentration of glucose in the blood. It helps this carbohydrate get into the cells. According to Dr. Komarovsky, insulin is the key to glucose from the cell door.

If the pancreas is not able to secrete the hormone in the right amount, then the body lacks glucose, which is the main source of energy. Then, the breakdown of fats begins along the wrong path with the formation of ketone bodies (acetone). These compounds are toxic.

The revealed features of diabetes mellitus in children allow us to say that the first type of this disease manifests itself with the greatest speed and is a common cause of disability in childhood, since children have several physiological features:

high speed of metabolic processes;
great physical activity;
instability of the nervous system;
the inability of an underdeveloped enzymatic system to cope with toxic ketone bodies, which leads to the rapid development of a diabetic coma.

On Russian-language forums, there are mothers whose children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. But, this is a rare occurrence in the countries of the former USSR. Its main reason is a long-term violation of a rational diet and obesity, as a result of which the cells do not perceive insulin. This type of diabetes develops slowly in children and is more common during adolescence. In a fifth of affected children, the symptoms of type 2 diabetes are similar to those of type 1 diabetes.

How to recognize diabetes?

Timely detection of the first signs of this disease in children is the main step that will help, if not avoid, then reduce the development of complications that cause the child to become disabled.

Consuming large amounts of liquid

Diabetes mellitus in children is manifested primarily in the form of thirst, which is associated with the fact that water from the cells passes into the blood to dilute glucose. A child can drink up to 5 liters of liquid.

Frequent urination

Polyuria is another symptom of the disease. He is noticed by parents one of the first, since, often, the child begins to urinate in a dream, although this has not happened before. The reason is drinking too much. Moms on the forums often write that if the soiled linen dries out before washing, then it feels like after starch treatment.

Weight loss

A sharp weight loss in children with diabetes is due to the fact that the body, in conditions of a lack of glucose, has to break down its own adipose and muscle tissue.

vision problems

Dehydration also affects the lens. This leads to visual impairment, manifested in the form of a veil in front of the eyes, which very young children may not notice. However, visual impairment to one degree or another is not just a symptom, but a serious complication, the presence of which is one of the factors of disability.

Behavior change

Insufficient intake of glucose into the cells, which characterizes diabetes mellitus in children, leads to energy starvation. This affects the behavior of the child. He becomes lethargic, inactive.

Constant hunger or refusal to eat

An eating disorder often manifests itself as a constant hunger, because of which the child eats without interruption, it is difficult for him to follow a diet, because the body does not receive the main energy source - glucose.

In the case of the development of diabetic ketoacidosis, appetite, on the contrary, decreases. But, this is a very dangerous symptom that requires an immediate call for an ambulance and a visit to the clinic, as it can lead to serious consequences and disability.

Severe infections

Such a symptom as the development of fungal infections is more characteristic of type 2 diabetes. On parental forums, you can often find messages from mothers who are concerned not only with a violation of the absorption of carbohydrates, but also with frequent complications of infectious diseases. The body of a diabetic child, dependent on insulin, is more difficult to fight even with the usual SARS.

Formation of ketone bodies

The smell of acetone coming from a child and its detection in the urine is one of the most dangerous and obvious signs of diabetes. On the mother's forum or blog, you can often find disturbing messages in which mothers talk about the appearance of such a smell in their children. But, this is not always a manifestation of diabetes.

If only this symptom worries and it is found once, then Dr. Komarovsky, along with other doctors, explain this by a lack of glucose, for example, after intense physical exertion. You can deal with this simply: give your child a glucose tablet to suck on.

In the case of diabetes, the formation of ketone bodies can only be avoided by dieting and receiving insulin.

Other signs of diabetes in children

The clinic of the disease is complemented by a high level of sugar in the blood and the presence of antibodies that destroy pancreatic cells that secrete insulin. Sometimes, immunoglobulins are found to the hormone itself or to the enzymes involved in the production and functioning of insulin.

Antibodies are a manifestation characteristic only of type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease. They are not found in the second type, which is characterized by high blood pressure, poor blood tests for cholesterol, and the presence of dark spots between the fingers, in the armpits.

Factors in the Development of Diabetes

It is especially important to know the signs of diabetes in children if the child is at risk:

is related to insulin-dependent and, first of all, those with a disability due to this disease;
have a genetic predisposition identified by genome testing.

Science also suggests that there are other indirect causes of diabetes in children:

rubella, Epstein-Barr, etc. viruses can be the start for the disease;
hypovitaminosis D;
use for feeding in infancy of cow's milk;
the introduction of complementary foods up to 5-6 months;
premature birth;
very intense physical activity;
birth weight over 4.5 kg.

How to reduce the risk of diabetes?

If you can’t argue with genetics, then parents can eliminate the effect of many of the phenomena that trigger diabetes.

Prevention of diabetes in children, especially those at risk, includes:

proper introduction of complementary foods;
use of adapted formulas if breastfeeding is not possible;
age-appropriate physical activity will not only help to avoid obesity, but also will not overload the body;
following a balanced diet.

If there are symptoms, and even more so if there are none, but relatives are sick or a genetic predisposition has been proven, it is necessary to visit the clinic for tests.

Laboratory research

In addition to detecting symptoms, diagnosing diabetes in children includes a number of tests:

a blood test for glucose on an empty stomach or after a meal;
glucose tolerance test;
determination of antibodies to insulin, beta cells and enzymes;
detection of acetone in urine.

It is also necessary to undergo such an examination with an already diagnosed diagnosis, especially if the child is recognized as disabled for this disease.

disability in diabetes

Diabetes mellitus itself is not considered a reason for obtaining a disabled group. But the lack of diabetic compensation and confirmed complications can lead to the issuance of disability:

eye damage;
renal pathology;
disruption of the nervous system, including: mental retardation and dementia;
heart damage.

Before reaching the age of majority, the child is not assigned a specific group.

But, to confirm disability, it is necessary to undergo a medical and social examination once every 1-2 years. You can learn about how it goes on the official websites, as well as on the forum of mothers whose children have diabetes.

Can diabetes be overcome?

In fact, there are no ways that will help your child get rid of type 1 diabetes forever. But, to relieve symptoms, achieve remission and a comfortable life is real.

The treatment regimen must be selected with a doctor. Do not turn to charlatans who promise complete healing, even if they are recommended by other moms on the forum. Otherwise, complications and disability for life cannot be avoided.

Traditional care for a sick child includes:

a well-chosen diet low in fat and light carbohydrates;
individually selected dosage of insulin.

Every child needs physical activity. In type 2 diabetes, it is necessary for treatment. In the first type, physical education should be dosed, and take place under the control of a glucometer.

In any case, the main thing to remember is that diabetes in children in modern conditions is not a disease, but a way of life. Parents don't need to worry. It is better to listen to the advice of Komarovsky and just gradually teach your child to take care of their health on their own. Many doctors also recommend that the whole family follow a diabetic diet to support the child.

You do not need to become isolated in this feature of your child. You are not alone. To make sure and find support, visit a specialized forum in a dosed manner.

Childhood diabetes is considered to be a chronic condition that develops due to a malfunction of the pancreas. This disease is extremely common - diabetes is in 2nd place in terms of occurrence. Without proper treatment, the child develops various complications that lead to disruption of the functioning of organs and systems, which in childhood is dangerous for disability.

The disease is usually divided depending on the source of formation:

Primary - or true;
Secondary - or symptomatic - gets its development due to violations of the functioning of the endocrine system or other pathologies in the history of the child.

Primary diabetes mellitus is divided into:

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is insulin-dependent, with a characteristic decrease in insulin production. Sometimes it is not produced at all;
Type 2 diabetes mellitus - non-insulin dependent, insulin resistant - is characterized by the inability to absorb glucose that enters the body.

Forms of diabetes:

Compensated - when it is detected in the early stages of formation, and timely assistance is provided to the baby, the glucose level can be brought back to normal;
Subcompensated - the level of glucose in a sick child is slightly different from normal values;
Decompensated - the child has severe failures in carbohydrate metabolism - the therapy of this condition is extremely difficult, recovery takes a long time.

The severity of diabetes is:

Light - symptoms practically do not appear, glucose levels - up to 8 mmol / l;
Moderate - violations in the child's condition are present, while glucose levels are less than 12 mmol / l;
Severe form - this form is dangerous for the development of complications, since the glucose level is relatively high - 14 mmol / l and above;
Complicated form - a serious condition of the child, which is a consequence of the development of various complications, while blood glucose levels are 25 mmol / l.

Newborns can also develop diabetes mellitus - it happens:

Transient - a transient, temporary condition, its symptoms are muffled closer to 3 months, and closer to a year they completely disappear. However, there is a risk of developing this pathology in the future - therefore, parents need to monitor the baby's tests and in no way refuse to take them;
Persistent - not amenable to therapy and requires artificial maintenance of insulin in the child's body by intradermal administration.

Causes of diabetes in children

The essence and root cause of diabetes mellitus of both the first and second types lies in the dysfunction of the pancreas. The organ belongs to both the glands of external and internal secretion. Its main functions:

The secretion of pancreatic juice, the enzymes of which are necessary for digestion;
production of insulin;
Regulation of metabolism in the body of fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

If we talk about type 1 diabetes - insulin-dependent - the main culprit of the disease is the autoimmune process. When it occurs, the destruction of beta cells that produce insulin (located in the pancreas) and a complete blockade of its production.

Note! The first and most important reason for the development of the pathology in question, experts called a genetic predisposition. This fact should alert parents who know that one of them had this problem in their family and take the child's blood tests for glucose for special control.

Other reasons for the formation of pathology:

Exposure to microorganisms - viruses of the cytomegalovirus group, enteroviruses, Coxsackie virus, herpes viruses, viruses, mumps, measles, rubella, chickenpox;
Autoimmune diseases in a baby - with them, the immune system negatively affects the pancreas - specific bodies destroy the structure of the organ;
Liver damage by viruses;
Malignant formations formed at an early age;
Acute and chronic infectious lesions of the urinary tract;
Trauma or other damage to the pancreas.

It's important to know! Diseases such as scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus and acromegaly, toxic goiter and pancreatitis also form diabetes mellitus. In addition to those listed, the cause of the development of this pathology is Itsenko-Cushing, Down, Klinefelter syndromes.

Factors provocateurs of childhood diabetes:

Frequent overeating with subsequent development of overweight. Violations of the rules of feeding a child by parents can also be attributed to the same category - a monotonous menu in which carbohydrates predominate form obesity, after which diabetes occurs;
Reduced physical activity in a child, a rare stay in the fresh air, violations of work and rest regimes;
Taking medications without supervision by the attending physician;
Stress in a baby
Artificial or mixed feeding;
Surgical interventions in the history of the child;
Nutrition with whole cow's milk.

As such, there is no age relationship for type 1 diabetes. Autoimmune diabetes mellitus is considered a childhood disease - the main blow falls on children of kindergarten, school and adolescence.

In children of the first year of life and older (16-18 years), type 1 diabetes is much less common.

Type 2 diabetes is common in older people - although it has recently been quite common in children - and also has its own causes of development:
Pancreatitis with periodic exacerbations, which leads to an inevitable failure of the pancreas;
Abnormal reaction of the body to insulin;
Age - most often this type of diabetes occurs in people over 40 years of age;
genetic disposition;
Overeating, overweight. Type 2 diabetes is also called the disease of obese people.
This type is the most common - up to 90% of cases fall on it.

Both types of diabetes are characterized by the same symptoms at all periods of the course. At the beginning of the disease, you can observe general weakness, malaise in the baby. As the pathology develops, increased and skin itching joins - and it can be both moderate and severe - which gives the little patient anxiety and sleep disturbances. These symptoms are more likely to be indirect - that is, they can be observed in other diseases.

Parents should be wary if the child has frequent urge to urinate - especially often the baby asks to go to the toilet at night. The reason for this is a strong and constant thirst - the child often drinks. In addition, he has a feeling of hunger, increased - on the part of the digestive system, nausea is often observed, followed by vomiting.

Despite the fact that the child often drinks, he has dryness of the oral mucosa, which is then joined by a metallic taste in the mouth - while the smell from the mouth resembles pickled apples.
Due to the fact that the child's activity is reduced, he is rapidly gaining excess weight, in addition to this, the pressure and body temperature of the baby fluctuate. Vision suffers - at the beginning of the disease, there is a decrease in sharpness, which can then be replaced by a split image.

In addition, the child's bone strength also decreases.

It's important to know! Parents should pay special attention to the newborn - babies cannot complain about feeling unwell and show where it hurts. It is important to monitor the child, observe feeding regimens and not refuse blood tests.

Complications

Complications are atherosclerosis, stroke, cardiac ischemia. There are violations of the liver and kidneys, the brain. Children are often stunted, lagging behind in their studies. Often, due to vascular lesions, ulcers occur on the legs, visual acuity decreases.

Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in children

The establishment of this diagnosis does not cause difficulties for a pediatrician or endocrinologist. Laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods, which are highly informative, come to the aid of a specialist. Among them:

General and biochemical blood test;
General urine analysis;
Immunological studies;
Blood for hormones;
CT, MRI;
Ultrasound of organs;
Vascular research.

It comes down to a mandatory diet and taking special medications. Such children are prescribed drugs that can lower sugar levels - only a doctor can prescribe their dosage and course of administration, after carefully studying the tests. The indication for such patients is insulin therapy, which is prescribed for life - most often an insulin pump is used.
The diet of such babies should be completely devoid of carbohydrates and organic fats - especially refined ones. Fractional, but frequent meals are shown. Parents should carefully count the calories that the baby has consumed - for convenience, you can start a food diary.

Prediction and prevention of diabetes in children

The prognosis for the child is relatively favorable - especially with early detection of the disease. Together with your doctor, you can influence and even prevent the development of complications.

To prevent the development of the disease and its complications, you can take the drug DoroMarine - it helps to normalize the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats.

In addition, DoroMarine is a natural source. The vitamin complex is able to restore the level and - which is extremely important for diabetes - many fruits in diabetes are prohibited due to their high sugar content. DoroMarine completely replaces them without affecting the glucose level.

The systematic use of this complex is able to regulate the level of sugar - as a result of clinical trials, 20% of patients were completely abolished insulin, the rest of the patients required this drug in smaller quantities - the dosage was reduced.

DoroMarine has such a powerful effect due to the natural - and kelp it contains. Their mild effect is aimed at eliminating the symptoms and complications of diabetes - in 67% of cases, taking the complex helped to eliminate dry mouth and thirst. In almost a quarter of patients, body weight decreased by an average of 4 kg. Also, parents whose children used DoroMarine stools returned to normal, disorders in the form of nausea and diarrhea, and bad breath disappeared.

The raw material for DoroMarine is brown algae -.

In addition, DoroMarine is a good prophylactic against atherosclerosis and other vascular pathologies, which are often formed in diabetes. The remedy is 100% natural product, extremely easy to use - in order to give it to a child, the gel can be dissolved in a small amount of juice or fruit puree.

Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) is a serious disease characterized by high levels of glucose in the blood. It turns out that a person receives energy exclusively from glucose. It enters the cell and there, with the help of metabolic processes, it becomes a source of energy. And it turns out that the key that lets glucose into the cell is a hormone called insulin.

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Symptoms of diabetes.

If there is little insulin, then a situation is obtained in which there is a lot of glucose in the blood, but it is not in the cells, and the body experiences energy starvation. This condition is manifested by very special, indicative symptoms. These symptoms are:
thirst, and there is a feeling that the child can not get drunk;
active, very frequent urination;
constant hunger.
And this disease is called diabetes mellitus. Under the same phrase "diabetes mellitus" lies several very similar, but at the same time different diseases. These diseases are treated differently, so it is a very complex science - the treatment of diabetes. If the child has the above symptoms, you need to go to the doctor, clinic or laboratory and take a blood test for sugar. The disease is easily diagnosed. The normal glucose content is 3.3 - 5.5 mmol / l. The analysis is done in the morning on an empty stomach. The maximum (critical) content of insulin is 6.1 mmol / l. From 6.1 is diabetes. 5.5 to 6.1 is prediabetes. In urine tests, glucose will appear only if its content in the blood exceeds 10 mmol / l.

Types of diabetes.

If we recall the analogy with the key that opens the doors of the cells of the body, then in type 1 diabetes, glucose cannot enter the cell, because there is no key (insulin) at all, the cell is not ready to accept it. In the second option, there is a key, the cell is ready to take insulin, but the key is stuck and does not work. And until the cell learns to properly regulate metabolic processes again, the situation will not improve. And in the pancreas there are islands of cells. These islets are called the islets of Langerhans. These cells produce insulin. It regulates carbohydrate metabolism.

Diabetes mellitus type 1.

Under the influence of some factors that are currently unknown to science, antibodies begin to be produced that destroy the cells of these islets. This type of diabetes, in which these cells die, usually occurs in children or very young people, in almost 100% of cases before the age of 30. In adults, mature people, it never occurs. Therefore, it is called juvenile, that is, youthful, - diabetes of a young age. Or it is also called type 1 diabetes. In this type of diabetes, there is a catastrophic lack of insulin and the cells that produce it, and the treatment is only the administration of insulin.

Diabetes mellitus type 2.

There is also type 2 diabetes, which differs from the first in the most fundamental way. Its development is associated with obesity. That is, the body constantly has an excess of sugar, an excess of glucose in the blood. Not because the pancreas does not work well, but because of malnutrition. Type 2 diabetes develops, in which insulin is often enough or even more than necessary. But due to malnutrition, the cells of the body have “forgotten how to understand” insulin commands.

Treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2.

The main treatments for type 2 diabetes are:
1. Give the body physical activity.
2. Establish proper nutrition.
3. Reduce excess weight.
The right diet for diabetes is the usual complete diet for a healthy child: enough fruits, vegetables, protein foods. In the second type of disease, you need to monitor your weight and, if necessary, limit carbohydrate foods, especially sweets.

Is diabetes inherited?

Yes, it is inherited, especially type 2 diabetes. Because if dad is overweight and mom is overweight, then the way of life will be inherited, and, as a result, a predisposition to the disease. If a person in the family has elderly who are sick with type 2 diabetes, then he definitely has a tendency to develop this disease. Therefore, from childhood, he needs to be able to eat right, have physical activity, and not allow excess weight.
In type 1 diabetes, there is a chance of inheriting the disease, but it does not exceed 2-3% if the mother has diabetes, 5% if the father has the disease, and about 15% if both parents have diabetes. That is, there is no clear inheritance, but there is a risk factor. It is believed that some infectious diseases are the "trigger" of diabetes. If a child does become ill with diabetes, infectious diseases subsequently endure more severely than before. Therefore, in type 1 diabetes, the child is especially protected from infections, they are first of all vaccinated and they are given not only routine, but also additional vaccinations, for example, against influenza.

Conclusion.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes yet. But thanks to modern medicine, diabetes has evolved from a disease into a special way of life. With him you can learn to live and enjoy life. This disease must be treated correctly and with optimism. You also need to teach this to the child so that, as an adult, he lives a full life and at the same time does not depend on his mother and her reminders.
It is necessary to treat diabetes only by methods of official medicine with the use of insulin. Traditional methods of treatment can kill a person. Usually, after the discovery of the disease, parents are ready to grab at any straw to cure the child forever. After the first insulin injections, there may even be a temporary improvement (up to six months), when it seems that there is no diabetes. This is used by many "healers" who, against the background of such a picture, can promise to cure diabetes. But then it will become bad again, the frightened parents will again take the baby to the hospital, and the “healer” will tell them that he will not treat them further, because they go to the doctors. Don't fall into this trap.