Diabetes type 2 is a disease that occurs when the body does not respond to insulin normally, leading to the rise of a sugar level. The pancreas responds by producing more insulin. This excessive insulin production leads to the wearing out of the pancreas. Eventually, it is no longer able to produce enough insulin to keep the blood sugar levels within the normal range.
There are a couple of reasons why Type 2 Diabetes is most common in children. This includes being overweight, brought about by children eating high-fat and low-fiber diets which lead to weight gain. Excess fat makes it harder for the cells to respond to insulin and this makes it inactive thereby reducing the body’s ability to respond to insulin.
It can also occur when there is little or no physical activity. Regular exercise helps control the amount of glucose in the blood. It also helps burn excess calories and fat which helps in weight management.
Children may also get diabetes through hereditary means, where close family members pass on the disease to the children. It may also occur due to race as certain ethnic groups tend to be more prone to developing type 2 diabetes. African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander children are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes than white American children. Children may also get diabetes if the mother developed diabetes during pregnancy.
The symptoms of diabetes type 2 include;
- Frequent urination. The kidneys respond to high levels of glucose in the blood by flushing out the extra glucose in urine.
- Drinking a lot of liquids. Because the child is urinating so frequently and losing so much fluid, he or she can become very thirsty. He or she drinks a lot in an attempt to keep the levels of body water normal.
- Getting tired often because the body can’t use glucose for energy production properly.
- Nausea.
- Blurred vision.
- Frequent infections and slow-healing wounds or sores.
- Weight loss.
- Increased appetite.
Diabetes type 2 affects children in various ways: A child becomes less active as he/she can not participate actively in sports and other important physical activities due to increased tiredness since the body can not use body glucose properly for energy production. Besides, there is slow healing of wounds and sores that may occur when a child gets hurt when playing.
Type 2 Diabetes affects the child’s ability to concentrate in learning as there is an increased frequency of urination. Blurred vision also affects a child’s performance in school and special arrangements have to be made for the child to be able to read what is being taught.
Due to excessive drinking of liquids, families must ensure they make regular provisions of drinks to keep up with the body’s demands. They are also put at a task to ensure they provide the child with a well-balanced diet which should include the right portions of proteins, carbohydrates, and fat that are needed in the meal.
When diet and exercise do not help maintain normal or near-normal blood glucose levels, doctors prescribe medications that include injection of artificial insulin. The treatment and monitoring of diabetes are expensive, this leads to financial constraints especially for those people who do not have health insurance.
Reference
Barbara Toohey, Diabetes Spectrum journal, 2007 issue.
John K. Davidson (2000) Clinical Diabetes Mellitus; a Problem-Oriented Approach, Davidson publisher, United States.
Louis Steven Levene (2003) Managing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Primary Care: A Practical Guide, Elsevier Publishers, United States Type 2 Diabetes. Web.
Virginia Valentine, June Biermann, (1998) Diabetes Type 2 & What to Do, McGraw-Hill Professional publishers.