Alarming Symptoms of Diabetes in Children

Dr. Purushothaman
April 15, 2018

The issue with diabetes in children is that the doctors have a difficult time to detect it, as the symptoms are not clear. So, the diagnosis, detection and treatment can be both a challenge for the doctors. Children are quite young and may fail to understand any symptoms that may occur. It is the parents’ responsibility to keep a check on the children for certain symptoms. Diabetes in children can be due to lack of nutrition, lack of good diet and lifestyle. There are two types of diabetes and the detection of both can be quite a task. A good doctor will help with pediatric essential health benefits for the child.

Clear symptoms of diabetes in children

There are a few clear symptoms that indicate diabetes in children. One must notice the children carefully and if they complain about any of these, one must consult a doctor immediately and take required medication. Some of the symptoms are mentioned in the points below:

  1. Fatigue/laziness- Children are usually energetic as they are quite young and if a parent notices that the child feels tired and lazy most of the times, it can be an indication of diabetes.

  2. Loss of weight- If a child is losing weight at a rapid rate even if the diet seems normal, it can be a symptom of early diabetes in children. The weight loss may seem insignificant in the beginning, but one must ignore it at any cost. Eating tips for good health can help control both the weight and diabetes in children.

  3. Vision problems- If the child experiences blurred and hazy vision, it may just not a result of using computers or being exposed to the screen for a long time. The blurred vision might also be a symptom of diabetes. Since, the child is young and the diabetes may be at a controllable stage, parents must not delay with the medication.

  4. Irritated behavior- Parents may think that children get annoyed and irritated when they do not rest enough. This can be true, but when a child behaves the same way continuously for days, then it is a clear and definite symptom of diabetes.

  5. Fungal Infections- This one particular symptom is noticed in girls. They may have fungal infections on their genitals. If a young girl has such an issue, then it is mostly the case of diabetes and this call for immediate medical attention.

  6. Frequent urination- The frequent urge to urinate is a clear indication of diabetes. This one symptom is common for both children and adults. The thirst is caused by the increase in the blood sugar levels. The frequent thirst eventually needs to quick urge to urination. At this stage, children may demand for sweet items and sugary drinks.

  7. Getting thirsty and urinating frequently- One of the major symptoms of diabetes in children is increased thirst. When blood sugar level increases, it makes the child to frequently urinate. When sugar is built up in an excessive manner, will make water pooled. This makes the child thirsty. This makes the child drink more water and ultimately he/she will urinate frequently. The likeness for cold and sugary drinks can also seen in such children.

  8. Getting hungry all the time- Apart from being thirsty, children with diabetes tend to get hungry all the time. This is due to the lack of insulin that helps in transferring sugar present in the body. This will indirectly make use of more amounts of the energy and children affected with diabetes will become hungry faster.

  9. Acanthosis Nigricans- Acanthosis Nigricans is a skin hyperpigmentation. This makes the skin darker. It can be seen that the areas of skin which is not exposed to skin also tend to pigmentation.

  10. White raced kids prone to diabetes- It is a known fact that diabetes is seen to affect the white skinned children more than the African-American and Hispanic. Around 71% of the total number of children affected with diabetes is children with white skin.

If a parent notices even one or a few of these symptoms, they must consult a doctor and run a few tests to determine the child’s concern. The excess consumption of sweet foods is not the reason behind diabetes in children, it can be due to the disturbed insulin levels and it can also be due to obesity in children. A parent can help the child if they follow the healthy body tips and give the children a good and nutritious diet.

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