{"id":14796,"date":"2022-01-07T13:45:56","date_gmt":"2022-01-07T19:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=14796"},"modified":"2022-01-06T16:27:57","modified_gmt":"2022-01-06T22:27:57","slug":"does-my-child-have-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/does-my-child-have-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"Does my child have diabetes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a parent, the thought that your active and healthy child could have diabetes is probably the furthest thing from your mind. But it does happen, so it\u2019s important to know the warning signs.<\/a><\/p>\n

What is diabetes?<\/h2>\n

\u201cMost of the food we eat is broken down into sugar, or glucose, which our bodies use for energy,\u201d said Samina Yousuf, MD<\/a>, a pediatrician at OSF HealthCare. \u201cWhen sugar enters your bloodstream, your pancreas produces insulin, which acts like a key that allows the cells in your body to put that glucose to work.<\/p>\n

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Signs of Diabetes.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cHowever, if a person has Type 1 diabetes, their body has stopped producing insulin<\/a>. If they have Type 2, their body has become resistant to insulin and doesn\u2019t react to it the way that it should. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to numerous health problems<\/a>, including heart disease, kidney disease, vision problems, nerve damage and even death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who does it impact?<\/h2>\n

Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children and young adults and is typically thought to be caused when the body\u2019s immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells within the pancreas. Type 2 usually develops in adults who are over 40 years old or overweight, but it\u2019s becoming more common in children due to increased obesity rates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Children diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes are usually around 13-14 years old, but a diagnosis for Type 1 can come much earlier.<\/p>\n

What are the symptoms?<\/h2>\n

\u201cType 1 and Type 2 diabetes share the same symptoms, but they typically differ in how quickly those symptoms appear,\u201d Dr. Yousuf said. \u201cType 1 symptoms in children usually happen suddenly \u2013 like over the course of a few hours or days. On the other hand, Type 2 symptoms tend to appear gradually over the course of a few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Key symptoms to watch for:<\/p>\n

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Seeing signs in your child?<\/p>\n

>See your pediatrician.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n