Usually when diabetes and children are mentioned in the same sentence, Type 2 diabetes is what is being talked about. This is a condition that often occurs from being overweight or obese. This said, a new study indicates that Type 1, also called juvenile diabetes, should not be left out on the list of troubling diseases.
A current study from the British medical journal The Lancer has revealed that the amount of new cases of Type 1 diabetes in European children is continuously rising over what was expected. An evaluation of diabetes registries in 17 European countries revealed that Type 1 diabetes in children under age 15 is elevating at around 4% each year, and 4.3% for children ranging in age from 5 to 9. For some reason, girls in the younger age groups had higher rates of increase than the boys.
What is even more alarming is that the authors claimed that the frequency of new cases in children under age 5 is projected to double by the year 2020.
According to Dr. Dana Dabelea from the University of Colorado, a comparable movement is also happening in the U.S. In the same issue of The Lancet, mentioned earlier, she wrote “that the incidence of Type 1 diabetes may be increasing even faster than before.” In addition, she pointed out that the findings may draw attention to hazardous alterations in the environment in which modern children are being raised. Because of this, researchers are trying to pinpoint different things in the environment that may be to blame for the increase in diabetes cases, but no definite offenders have yet to be found.
Type 1 diabetes causes the body to make very little or no insulin, which is the hormone that regulates blood-sugar levels. Extremely high levels can trigger serious complications later in life in organs such as the eyes, heart and kidneys.
Some warning signs for Type 1 diabetes include intense hunger or thirst, urinating often, blurry vision and, in girls, having genital yeast infections often.
If a child is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, they will need to take insulin. This can be administered by injection or with specialized pens, infusers or pumps. Checking their blood sugar several times a day is something else they will have to master. Dealing with diabetes can be demanding for kids and their families of any age. Thankfully, breakthroughs in insulin delivery and monitoring have made it easier for children to have healthier and more normal lives.
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