A SIMPLE check can reveal whether your child is living silently with type 1 diabetes.
The condition causes people’s blood sugar levels to remain very high, which can lead to serious complications if left untreated.
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There are two main types of the disease: type 1, which cannot be prevented, and type 2, which is mainly linked to weight gain and lack of exercise.
More than 4.4 million people in the UK live with diabetes – but just 8% of them live with type 1.
Type 1 diabetes appears to be on the rise, although experts aren’t sure why.
Even before Covid pandemicthe rate of type 1 in children was increasing globally, by about three percent per year.
In 2020, however, this number increased substantially to 14 percent and, in 2021, to 27 percent.
Scientists have suggested that the Covid-19 virus itself could have triggered the disease in some children.
Others have suggested that increased levels of hygiene or less exposure to germs could be the cause.
Some scientists believe that lockdowns and physical distancing during Covid have meant that many children have not had enough exposure to insects and have lost this additional protection.
Despite this worrying upward trend, experts have made great progress in discovering new treatments in recent years.
This includes stem cell transplants, which could cure the disease, an artificial pancreas to facilitate treatment of the disease, and the repurposing of old medicines, which could provide better treatments.
It’s hard to ignore the signs of type 1 diabetes because symptoms can often appear quickly.
But leaving it untreated can lead to serious health problems, including diabetic ketoacidosis, which can result in a potentially fatal coma.
DO THE CHECK
This simple test can reveal whether your child has the disease.
All it involves is knowing the four symptoms, also known as the ‘4Ts’:
- Toilet – peeing more frequently, especially at night.
- Tthirsty – being constantly thirsty and not being able to quench it.
- Tirate – being incredibly tired and without energy.
- Thinner – lose weight without trying or looking thinner than normal
You can get type 1 diabetes at any age, but it’s more likely to be diagnosed when you’re under 40.
It usually develops in children, teenagers and young adults.
If you or a member of your family experience any of these symptoms, contact your family doctor immediately.
The doctor or nurse will do some blood or urine tests.
If you notice symptoms in your child, ask your doctor or nurse for a quick and simple finger-prick blood test – it only takes a few seconds.
The difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes
ALL types of diabetes cause blood glucose levels to be higher than normal, but the two different types do this in different ways.
The distinction lies in the cause of the lack of insulin – often described as the key, which allows glucose to open the cell door.
With type 1 diabetes, a person’s pancreas does not produce insulin, but in type 2 the body’s cells become insulin resistant, so a greater amount of insulin is needed to keep blood glucose levels within normal limits .
However, doctors now think diabetes can be made up of five different diseases – and say treatment must be tailored to the various forms.
The distinction lies in the cause of the lack of insulin – often described as the key, which allows glucose to open the cell door.
With type 1 diabetes, a person’s pancreas does not produce insulin.
It is much less common, affecting around 10% of adults who have the disease.
This form of the disease usually occurs in childhood or before age 40 and is not associated with obesity.
A well-known person who suffers from type 1 diabetes is Prime Minister Theresa May.
It is treated with daily insulin injections or an insulin pump.
For people with type 2, the body’s cells become resistant to insulin, so more insulin is needed to keep blood glucose levels within normal limits.
Typically, people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after age 40, but there are some exceptions.
In people from South Asia, the disease can appear as early as age 25.
And the condition is becoming more prevalent in children and teenagers of all ethnicities.
Experts suggest that rising rates of type 2 diabetes are due to the obesity epidemic – one of the main causes of type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes can be treated with medication, and many people can reverse their condition by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Some type 2 diabetics will also need insulin, although this is less common.
Thousands of children and young people under the age of 25 have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in England and Wales in recent years.
Doctors now think diabetes can be made up of up to five different diseases – and say treatment must be tailored to the various forms.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
