An estimated 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year, and about 13,000 of these new cases are children. That's an average of 36 new diagnoses of childhood diabetes every day.
Type I Childhood Diabetes
Most diabetic children have Type I diabetes, commonly known as "juvenile" or "childhood diabetes". This condition is present at birth and prevents the body from producing insulin. Many people born with childhood diabetes are not diagnosed until adolescence. Children and teens with the condition must learn about the proper treatment methods.
Signs of Type I Childhood Diabetes
Without warning, a diabetic attack can happen. Attacks come on suddenly, sometimes before the child has even been diagnosed. As you can imagine, this can be a terrifying episode for parents. That's why every parent must recognize the warning signs. These attacks can have long-lasting consequences without treatment, and may be even be fatal.
There are signs and symptoms of juvenile diabetes that you can watch for. Extreme thirst, frequent urination, increased appetite or weight loss, sleepiness, labored breathing, sudden changes in vision and a sweet, fruity smell to the breath are common signs. Knowing these can be the first step to saving a life.
Childhood diabetes is easily mistaken as other illnesses. Never assume, and seek immediate care if you notice that your child shows one or more of these symptoms. See your doctor and insist that your son or daughter be tested for diabetes.
Failure to diagnose childhood diabetes can have awful consequences. However, if the condition doesn't run in your family, you may not automatically identify the need to know all the symptoms. There are three main symptoms of childhood diabetes to keep in mind at all times: thirst, frequent urination, and blood glucose levels.
If your son or daughter makes frequent trips to the bathroom, seems unusually thirsty or shows both of these signs, he or she may have elevated levels of blood sugar. Children, who seem to be lethargic or overly sleepy, feel clammy or just seem to be "off" might benefit from a trip to the doctor for a simple urine or blood test.
Your family doctor or pediatrician may evaluate your child for other conditions as well, but it's important to rule out the possibility of childhood diabetes. If the condition goes undiagnosed and an attack occurs, you will be faced with sorting things out in an emergency situation.
Health Risks Associated with Childhood Diabetes
When a child is diagnosed with diabetes, a long list of potential health problems is brought to light. If blood sugar levels are low, your child may suffer from difficulties with vision, kidney and liver problems and even a great risk of heart attack and stroke.
Elevated blood sugar levels, on the other hand, can increase the possibility of infection. Yeast infections, tooth abscess, wounds that won't heal, gangrene from infected wounds and a host of other ailments are possible. Nerve damage to the feet and other extremities can occur. These conditions can potentially cause pain and irreversible damage.
Childhood diabetes forces kids to deal with some very grown-up concerns. Ask you doctor to perform a blood screening to ensure early detection. If diagnosed, work with your child and follow the treatment instructions carefully. It's the best way to ensure that your child leads the happy and healthy life that he or she deserves.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a well respected medical resource, and the American Family Physician, a newsletter from the American Academy of Family Physicians, childhood asthma has risen significantly in over the past few decades. The American Lung Association states that in 2004, an estimated 4 million children under 18 years old have had an asthma attack in the past 12 months, and many others have "hidden" or undiagnosed asthma.
Asthma is the most common cause of school absenteeism due to chronic disease and accounted for an estimated 14 million lost school days. They claim that childhood asthma has become more widespread and is now the most common chronic illness in children.
If you have children, it's important that you can recognize the symptoms and signs of an asthmatic condition. Understand that the symptoms below "may" indicate asthma, but could be symptomatic of a wide range of bronchial or pulmonary illnesses.
The most common signs and symptoms of childhood asthma are very similar to bronchitis and other respiratory infections. The symptoms include:
1.Coughing. The need to cough is created by mucus, which builds up and needs to be cleared. The mucus is usually caused by some type of infection or irritation. Coughing is symptomatic of many childhood and adult illnesses. Notice that although coughing is a symptom, the type of cough plays a role in understanding the cause. Simply put, a rattling or lose type cough is very different than a tight or hacking cough and both types can indicate certain illnesses
2.Wheezing. Wheezing is most commonly associated with asthma, however, all children with asthma do not necessarily wheeze. You can identify wheezing as a whistling type sound when your child breathes.
3.Chest congestion and tightness.
4.Shortness of breath
While these signs and symptoms may indicate childhood asthma, they may also point to various illnesses common to kids. As a parent, you cannot be expected to understand how various symptoms may interact or be able to accurately diagnose an illness such as asthma.
Another factor to consider is frequency. The child who frequently coughs or suffers ongoing or recurrent bouts of respiratory infection illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis may have childhood asthma.
As you can see, the diagnosis of this disease can only accurately be done by a medical doctor. Childhood asthma is a disease that has been strongly associated with genetic factors and usually involves some aspect of allergies. In the American Family Physician newsletter of April 2001 it was suggested that almost 80% of children with asthma can be expected to have allergies. This suggests that one strategy to control childhood asthma attacks is to control the environmental factors that may trigger an event. Those triggers may include dust, dirt, pollen and other factors. Visit the link below and get a free report on how to control on how to control and eliminate common allergy and asthma triggers in your home
Both Sterling Ostin & Abigail Franks are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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