How to Identify the Symptoms of Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile diabetes or Type 1 diabetes, affects about 3 million people in the U.S. Most of them are diagnosed before the age of 30 and the vast majority are diagnosed as children. Juvenile diabetes is a disease that occurs when the body's autoimmune system attacks the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that allows the body to process glucose or sugar in the foods you eat. Without it, the sugar accumulates in the blood and will eventually begin to damage vital organs in the body. If left untreated, it can eventually lead to a coma and even death.

Instructions

• 1

  Don't confuse symptoms with those of other ailments. For most parents, it can be very difficult to spot juvenile diabetes symptoms, as they may be gradual. Most people are used to hearing about excessive thirst and frequent urination when it comes to diabetes. While those are indeed symptoms, there are others that may occur that parents may overlook because of lack of information.

• 2

  Pay close attention to your children on a daily basis. A child with Type 1 diabetes will often lose weight despite eating very well. In fact, he may be very hungry and could be eating all day long and still not be satisfied. Instead of gaining weight from the food he is eating, weight loss will occur. This is because the body starts using up the fat stored to get energy that it is not getting from the organs, due to the lack of insulin. You should note that when the blood glucose is high for an extended period of time, a child may also complain of blurry vision. He may be having difficulty while working on his computer or reading the board in class.

• 3

  Watch your child's activity level. Children will be more tired than usual, even a bit lethargic. The child may want to sleep more and it may take him much more energy to get things done.

• 4

  Notice any severe changes in your child's behavior. He may display more aggression or mood swings. When his blood sugar levels are high, your child will often experience changes in his normal behavior. Parents usually attribute this to many other things, but may not know it can be related to a diabetes diagnosis.

• 5

  Report symptoms to the child's pediatrician. A simple urine test or glucose meter will indicate high levels of sugar and blood tests can confirm the diagnosis.

• 6

  Listen for labored breathing. When ketones are present in the body, labored breathing and a fruity smelling breath will be noticeable. Ketones are acids that build up in the blood due to the absence of insulin that is making the glucose accumulate in the blood. Ketoacidosis can occur when there are high levels of ketones in the body. It is a very serious condition and must be treated in the hospital.