Symptoms of Diabetes in Children

Diabetes is a common condition that affects people all over the world. However, type 1 diabetes is a condition that is seen right from childhood. Type 1 diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is seen in children whose pancreas are unable to produce the vital hormone insulin. This defect is seen right from birth, although the symptoms start showing in early childhood. This kind of diabetes is said to be an autoimmune disease, that is, the antibodies in the person fail to distinguish between foreign cells and the body's own cells in this disease. Due to this, these antibodies attack the insulin producing cells of the pancreas and destroy them, resulting in lack or complete absence of insulin. This makes the disease a very serious one to deal with and therefore, parents must always keep an eye out for any sign of diabetes in their children so as to diagnose and start the treatment for the condition early on.

What are the Signs of Diabetes in Children?

Increased Thirst: One of the first and foremost signs that the diabetic child will display is an increased in thirst. Polydipsia as it is also called, sometimes it's so severe that the child may even drink water when at rest or just before going to bed. Sometimes, the thirst may force him or her to even get up at night and drink water.

Increased Urination: An obvious effect of increased consumption of water is increased urination. In fact, frequent urination in children is often one of the most alarming signs that should make a parent suspect the possibility of type 1 diabetes. Polyuria or increased urination may even force the child to get up at night due to the urgency to urinate. Certain young children may eventually end up wetting their beds due to this. Thus, although this is not a serious symptom, it can often be very discomforting and embarrassing for the child.

Increased Hunger: One of the most common symptom is polyphagia, or increased or constant hunger. The child's appetite normally increases many fold when suffering from diabetes. Due to this, the child often feels hungry and needs to have meals at regular intervals. However, what is most alarming is that the child does not put on any weight and on the contrary, often loses weight.

Other Symptoms: Other general type 1 diabetes symptoms that a child may show include increased tiredness and weakness, lethargy, stomach aches, headaches, behavioral problems, delayed wound healing etc. The child also often shows an increased susceptibility to contracting infections and thus, falls ill easily. In some serious cases, the child may also complain of blurred vision, unusual and unexplained weight loss, tingling in hands and feet, extreme irritability and difficulty concentrating etc.

Thus, these were the commonly seen symptoms. Unfortunately, it is still not known what causes type 1 diabetes, though it is suspected that genes and certain environmental factors play a vital role as causative agents. Although, as stated earlier, it is important to lookout for diabetes symptoms, some parents, especially those that have a family history of diabetes, tend to get very worried if they see that their child is frequently urinating or has a very large appetite but still does not put on weight. However, it is important to understand that these are the growing years of the child and hence, a good appetite without weight gain is not something to be necessarily alarmed about. If you do notice certain warning signs of diabetes, then, it is best to visit a doctor and get the diagnosis confirmed before embarking on any kind of treatment.