Can small children have type 1 diabetes?
It was shocking for Ashley Henschen when her two-year-old daughter Layla Henschen was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. According to the 33-year-old mother, her daughter had started to show signs of the disease much before the diagnosis, however, because she and her husband did not know what to look for, they missed it.
“She would drink almost two cups worth of water each time,” Henschen told TODAY.com.
“Her diapers were just constantly wet. We would change her diaper. Then within 30 minutes, it would be drenched, so it would need to be changed. She was 22 months at the time, so that’s unusual to be soaking that quick.”
“I was thinking, ‘Do we need to size up in diapers? Do we need overnight diapers?’” Henschen says.
“We kind of brushed it off. ‘She's growing,’” Henschen remembers. “It seemed like every sign and symptom could easily be brushed off as something else.”
However, when her daughter's symptoms got worse, she decided to seek medical help and called her doctor, which is when the doctor confirmed Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.
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What is Type 1 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition wherein the pancreas fails to make enough insulin. Insulin is the hormone that not only helps regulate the amount of sugar or glucose in the blood, but also helps process sugar and converts it into energy.
While the exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unclear, experts believe genetics and an autoimmune reaction may be possible causes.
Type 1 diabetes in small children
Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age.
When it comes to children, according to the Mayo Clinic, type 1 diabetes appears at two noticeable peaks. The first peak occurs in children between 4 and 7 years old. The second is in children between 10 and 14 years old.
However, children can be diagnosed with the disease as an infant, or later, as a toddler or a teen.
Given that there's no cure for type 1 diabetes in children, it can be extremely daunting and overwhelming for parents, especially in the initial stages. However, the condition can be managed.
What are the signs?
Type 1 diabetes in kids can develop quickly and can cause noticeable symptoms that may be mistaken with other illnesses. These include:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination, possibly bed-wetting in a toilet-trained child
- Extreme hunger
- Unintentional weight loss
- Fatigue
- Irritability or behavior changes
- Fruity-smelling breath
Who is more at risk?
Age may be one of the biggest risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The condition mostly occurs in children. But anyone and everyone at any age can suffer from the illness. The key is to note the other factors that put one at increasing risk.
- Family histor of type 1 diabetes
- Genetics
- Race
- Certain viruses that may trigger the autoimmune destruction of the islet cells.
How to manage type 1 diabetes in kids?
According to Mayo Clinic, the management and treatment of type 1 diabetes include:
- Taking insulin
- Monitoring blood sugar
- Eating healthy foods
- Exercising regularly