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Signs & Symptoms of Adolescent Onset Diabetes

There are two main types of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body fails to effectively use the insulin produced by the pancreas. About 90 to 95 percent of diabetics have type 2 diabetes, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Type 1 diabetes usually appears in childhood, and is referred to as adolescent-onset diabetes or juvenile diabetes. The signs and symptoms are largely the same for both types of diabetes.

  1. Excessive Thirst and Urination

    • When the pancreas fails to produce insulin, it allows sugar to build up in your bloodstream. To compensate, your body pulls fluid from tissues, which leads to dehydration. This causes you to feel thirsty and drink more. Your kidneys also respond to the excess blood sugar by trying to flush it out, leading to more frequent urination.

    Blurred Vision

    • When your body takes fluid from your tissues to compensate for the increased blood sugar, it can affect the lenses of your eyes. The loss of fluid actually changes the shape of the lenses, hindering their ability to focus and leading to blurred vision.

    Hunger and Weight Loss

    • Because sugar stays in your blood when you have diabetes, it never makes it to your muscles and tissues to provide the energy they need to function properly. This can trigger extreme hunger, as your body tries to compensate. Even if you eat constantly to satisfy this hunger, you may lose weight. Without sugar for energy, your body will burn fat and, deprived of an energy source, your muscle tissue will shrink.

    Other Symptoms

    • Fatigue and irritability are also effects of sugar building up in the blood and muscles and tissues being deprived of needed energy. If Type 1 diabetes is not diagnosed right away, a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, in which chemicals called ketones build up in the blood, can occur. This can lead to additional symptoms such as sweet-smelling breath, nausea, vomiting and breathing problems. Occasionally, certain infections may be a sign of Type 1 diabetes. Kidshealth.org says that a vaginal yeast infection in a pre-pubescent girl may signal diabetes.

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