Juvenile Diabetes Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Understanding

Diabetes is a condition where the body’s blood sugar level is higher than it should be due to a lack of insulin. Juvenile diabetes, also known as type I diabetes mellitus, is diabetes mellitus that occurs in children when the pancreas (the organ in the body that produces insulin) does not produce insulin as it should.

Reason

Under normal circumstances, when eating, the body will break down the food consumed into glucose and absorbed by the intestines into blood sugar. When blood sugar increases, the pancreas organ will release insulin which will deliver the blood sugar into the body’s cells to be converted into an energy source.

In juvenile diabetes, the sequence of these mechanisms does not occur due to an immune system disorder that causes the pancreas to be damaged and unable to produce insulin. Because it is unable to produce insulin, the sugar will accumulate in the blood and cannot enter the cells.

Until now, the cause of juvenile diabetes is not clearly known. However, it is suspected that genetic factors influence the occurrence of diabetes in children. This disease does not pass from parent to child.

Symptoms

Juvenile diabetes can occur slowly or suddenly. But usually, in the early stages of the disease, juvenile diabetes does not show any symptoms.

If there are symptoms that appear, the following things can happen:

• Urinating more often than usual, even having to wake up several times at night to urinate.
• Drinks more than children his age in general.
• Looks weak and tired more quickly.
• Weight loss or weight gain is not as it should be.

In girls, sometimes the symptoms that appear are late puberty or vaginal discharge due to a yeast infection.

If diabetes is not controlled, it often causes complications in the form of diabetic ketoacidosis (KAD). This condition is characterized by a buildup of chemicals called ketones, causing symptoms of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and breathing problems, and can even cause decreased consciousness.

In addition, in the long term, persistently high blood sugar levels can cause strokes, heart disease, vision problems, and kidney failure. And when these complications occur, they are generally irreversible.

Diagnosis

To ensure diabetes, the doctor will do blood tests, in the form of checking fasting blood sugar and blood sugar two hours after eating. High blood sugar levels will confirm the presence of diabetes.

To ensure that the diabetes is juvenile diabetes, it is necessary to check the levels of C-peptide from the blood. Low C-peptide levels ensure that diabetes you are experiencing is juvenile diabetes.

Treatment

If juvenile diabetes is confirmed, the child should be treated by a pediatric endocrinologist.

Juvenile diabetes cannot be cured. However, by using insulin regularly every day, blood sugar levels in juvenile diabetes sufferers can be controlled. Insulin is given by injection into the skin that has a lot of layers of fat, usually in the stomach. Usually, insulin is injected three times a day.

In addition, a few things also need attention:

• Eat foods that are high in fiber, and limit the carbohydrates consumed
• Check blood sugar levels regularly
• Do physical activity regularly, at least 3-4 times a week

All of these treatments are needed so that children can continue to grow and develop like most children in general. Therefore, treatment requires cooperation between doctors, patients, and their parents.

Prevention

Until now there is nothing that can be done to prevent juvenile diabetes.