Childhood diabetes is on the rise. In the past 30 years, this potentially devastating disease has seen a threefold increase. Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses the main type of sugar in the blood, glucose. There are two main types of diabetes that show up in children: Type 1 and Type 2. Symptoms for both types of diabetes are generally the same as they are in adults – thirst, fatigue, frequent urination – but children typically also experience headaches, stomachaches and behavior problems.
Type 1 diabetes is classified as an autoimmune disease, which is a disease wherein the body’s own immune system attacks one of the body’s own organs or tissues. In those that suffer from Type 1 diabetes, the immune system is attacking the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes works differently. When a child has Type 2 diabetes, his or her pancreas is still producing insulin – the body just isn’t responding to it normally. When that happens, the pancreas produces more insulin to try to handle the glucose levels in the blood. Eventually, the pancreas can wear out from having to work overtime.
It is thought that the rise in Type 2 diabetes in children is due to the current trend towards obesity, but there also may be genetic factors involved. With Type 1 diabetes, children that develop it may not have any family members at all that also have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can be treated with diet, exercise and medications that improve the body’s ability to respond to insulin and therefore control blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes is often treated with insulin shots to help the body keep insulin levels within the normal range even though the body is trying to destroy them.