Warning Signs of Diabetes in Children

The Georgia chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation recently invited friends and families of type 1 children with diabetes to join together for a walk to raise awareness of the disease and to highlight the warning signs of diabetes in children.

Most children with diabetes, come down with it suddenly. Unfortunately, many parents miss type 1 diabetes warning signs because the symptoms of diabetes are mostly silent. And although, only a doctor or medical health professional can diagnose someone with diabetes, there are some diabetes warning sign that you can be on the lookout for in your children.

Warning Signs of Diabetes

Frequent urination - are you noticing that your child is going to the bathroom much more often than he or she has in the past? People with diabetes have difficulty processing glucose. As a result, glucose tends to build up in their blood stream. In an effort to get rid of the glucose, the kidney excretes in the urine which is why they will often feel the need to urinate more frequently.

Dry mouth - can be a side effect of diabetes. If your child is drinking a lot more water and liquids than normal, it could be that he is experiencing dry mouth.

Sudden weight loss - sudden weight loss can be caused because the person's body is suddenly unable to make use of the energy provided by the glucose in his blood stream. As a result, even though the person eats, the nutrients do not get to the cells and, all of a sudden, the person is losing weight.

Blurred vision - any sudden change in vision, especially blurred vision, is a clue that diabetes may be the cause. But, whether or not diabetes is the cause, blurred vision is a cause for concern. A child experiencing blurred vision should be taken to the doctor immediately to ascertain the cause.

Lethargy - Is your child sleeping more? Or, is he always tired? If the body is unable to process nutrients, it's not unusual that the person will feel tired. They're just not able to make use of the energy.

Slow healing cuts and bruises - people with diabetes have more difficulty healing from cuts and such because, again, their body's cells aren't able to get all of the nutrients they need to repair themselves.

Even though these are some of the most common signs of diabetes, not every child that has diabetes will have all of these symptoms.

The warning signs of diabetes should not be taken lightly. And even though diabetes warning signs can manifest themselves at any time, it's especially pernicious when it happens to children. Early diagnosis of the disease in children can have a profound effect on their life.

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