Diabetes in children sounds frightening and finding out that your child has been diagnosed with diabetes can be overwhelming. Children and their families have to go through a tremendous learning experience to help them manage their diabetes.

Diabetes affects the body’s capability to use glucose, the main type of sugar found in the blood. There are mainly two types of diabetes type 1 and type 2. Both cause blood sugar levels to become higher than normal, but in different ways.

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. Kids with type 1 diabetes need insulin to help maintain their blood sugar levels within a normal range.

Type 2 diabetes is slightly different. Children with type 2 diabetes have two problems:

a) Not enough insulin is produced

b) Insulin does not work properly

This leads the blood sugar level to rise, making the pancreas produce even more insulin.When we think of diabetes, we usually either think of young kids with type 1 diabetes who need daily insulin shots, or older or overweight adults with type 2 diabetes. However, now due to the childhood obesity epidemic, there has been an alarming increase in kids’ diabetes type 2 cases, which used to be thought of as adult onset diabetes.

Symptoms of Diabetes

In children with type 1 diabetes, the symptoms are increased urination, increased thirst, and weight loss.

Type 2 diabetes is more subtle in children who are usually overweight. Another sign or symptom of type 2 diabetes is a black, velvety discoloration of a child’s neck and skin folds.

Kids and teens with type 2 diabetes are advised to eat a healthy diet, exercise, and take medicines that improve the body’s response to insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Some may need to take insulin shots or use an insulin pump, too.

Although nobody knows the exact cause for type 2 diabetes, there seems to be a genetic risk. It has been estimated that 45-80 percent of the affected kids have at least one parent with diabetes and may have a significant family history of the disease.

Also, type 2 diabetes in children may lead to hypertension (high blood pressure). As soon as a child is diagnosed with the symptoms of diabetes, parents must visit a pediatric endocrinologist, a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the endocrine system such as diabetes and growth disorders in kids.

To prevent diabetes, the following things should be taken care of:

• Eat a healthy diet

• Monitor blood sugar levels regularly

• Participate in some physical activity regularly

• Exercise regularly

• Try to maintain normal body weight

Living with diabetes is surely a challenge. At times, children might not understand why the blood testing and medications are necessary. They may get scared, angry, and uncooperative. It is the responsibility of the parents to handle their child with patience and care.

Diabetes is a chronic condition and especially, diabetes in children needs close attention, but with some practical knowledge you can become your child’s biggest support in learning to live with the disease.

Checking one’s blood pressure level regularly and keeping it under normal level is one of the most important elements of our healthy life style. However, there is lack of concern among people on keeping a track of blood pressure record. If you are a health freak, you certainly do it. But a person unaware of health concerns certainly ignores the healthy readings and there is all likelihood that he faces serious illness leading to hypertension. Now a day’s lots of health advertisements by pharmacy companies and various professionals are marketed to make people aware of their health and prevent blood pressure, dubbed as silent killer, in the society.

Systolic and Diastolic Pressure

Today, hypertension is the most important health issue. Lots of researches have done on this topic and all of them accept that it’s a big health concern and rising. That’s why WHO have given certain guidelines on hypertension. According to it, a person is said to be hypertensive when his systolic pressure goes up more than 140 mm Hg and diastolic pressure more than 90 mm Hg. Hypotension is another condition much like hypertension. It means a reduction of systolic pressure below 90 mm Hg and diastolic pressure below 60 mm Hg. We must be aware of both conditions because this is a serious issue which can spoil your life. Both hypertension and hypo tension shows different symptoms and should be treated depending upon the underlying pathology.

How These Can Be Identified

People must be wondering how these can be identified? Is it possible to identify them at earlier stages? Now we can say confidently that with the advances in the medical field all over the globe, it has become easy to identify the problematic silent killer early. In other words, we can say we have lot of specialist health professionals to identify hypertension. All we need to diagnose a hypertension is a relevant medical history of symptoms if any and a sphygmomanometer with a stethoscope. Check out the readings whether it falls under normal category — 80 to 120 mm Hg. If you fall within this category, you are absolutely fine nothing to worry at all. But think if you are in the higher range or far lesser range.

Solution For The Problem

Let’s discuss about the solution for the problem. We have to go for antihypertensive medications and life style modifications as early as possible. Medications has very little role to play, but life style modifications has a very good role to play to modify your hypertension as well as to reduce complications. A healthy life style includes a low sodium diet, a good exercises program charted by a physiotherapist, and to practice relaxation to avoid stress.

In conclusion, one can say a healthy life style will adds a lot of meaning to life and keep normal blood pressure at normal level.