Diabetes mellitus is a fairly common and dangerous disease, which nevertheless is often found in modern endocrinological practice. And since children are also susceptible to this disease, many parents are interested in questions about what the main signs of diabetes in a child look like. After all, the sooner therapy is started, the less likely it is to develop serious complications.
Forms of diabetes
In modern medicine, it is customary to distinguish two main types of this disease. And the signs of diabetes in a child will partly depend on the type of disease.
As you know, diabetes is a chronic disease that is associated with a violation of carbohydrate metabolism. As a result of certain changes, either a violation of insulin secretion or a decrease in the sensitivity of cells to this hormone is observed.
So, diabetes mellitus of the first type is accompanied by malfunctions of the pancreas - specific cells simply stop synthesizing insulin in the required quantities. Thus, the level of glucose in the blood rises sharply. It is this kind of disease that is most often observed in childhood. By the way, such a disease is usually hereditary. The only possible treatment in this case is insulin injection.
Type 2 diabetes is accompanied by a decrease in the sensitivity of cellular receptors to insulin. This means that even if the hormone is synthesized in the required amount or is administered artificially, the body does not respond to it. In this case, treatment comes down to a strict diet.
Signs of diabetes in a child
Unfortunately, at the first stages of the development of the disease, it is not so easy to notice it, since the existing violations are simply not striking. So what are the most indicative symptoms of diabetes? When to worry
The first thing you should pay attention to is the amount of fluid your child drinks. Of course, in the norm, everyone should drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day. But an increase in blood glucose causes malfunctions in the electrolyte balance. Thirst is a way to lower sugar concentration. By the way, sick children drink in huge quantities even in the cold season.
Since the child drinks too much, the body must somehow remove the liquid. Thus, polyuria occurs. Children with diabetes go to the toilet 10-20 times a day. Often they wake up several times during the night to empty the bladder. Quite often, such a violation of the hormonal background is accompanied by enuresis.
Dry mucous membranes and skin integuments are signs of diabetes in a child. Indeed, again, the body seeks to reduce the concentration of glucose in the blood and, if necessary, uses for this purpose fluid from the intercellular space.
It is worth paying attention to the eyesight of the child. The fact is that excess glucose begins to be deposited in various organs, in particular on the lens of the eye. By the way, an increase in the level of simple sugars in the blood negatively affects the operation of the visual analyzer, as it causes not only clouding of the lens, but also the destruction of the retinal vessels (angiopathy).
It is worth worrying if the child begins to quickly lose weight. Chronic fatigue and weakness are also signs of diabetes in adolescents and children. Quite often, children with a similar diagnosis suffer from increased fatigue - the level of their academic performance at school is much lower than that of most of their healthy peers.
In the presence of such symptoms, it is necessary to immediately show the child to the endocrinologist and take a blood test for sugar content. The faster treatment is started, the less likely it will be to develop a diabetic coma and other complications.