What is Diabetes?
What is Diabetes?
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What is type 1 diabetes?
It is a disease that attacks your child’s pancreas and destroys important cells called beta cells.
The beta cells stop making insulin.
It is the second most common chronic illness in children.
What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone made by the beta cells in the pancreas.
It allows sugar (glucose) to enter the body’s cells to give them energy.
Your child needs this energy to think, play and work.
What happens without insulin?
Sugar (glucose) is not able to enter the body’s cells to give energy.
The sugar builds up in your child’s bloodstream.
The blood sugar will go higher. Things will start to happen that are dangerous to your child’s health.
Your child’s body begins to break down fats to get energy (since the body isn’t getting energy from sugars).
Fat breakdown causes ketones.
High levels of ketones in the body will make your child very sick.
The kidneys try to send the extra sugar in the blood out of the body in urine.
This pulls water from the body and causes your child to urinate.
Your child will drink and urinate more as the blood sugar increases.
This leads to dehydration.
What is the treatment?
Insulin by injection is the only treatment for type 1 diabetes.
Insulin injections will replace the insulin your child no longer makes.
There is no pill form of insulin.
Meal planning and exercise also help control diabetes.
How did my child get type 1 diabetes?
The exact cause is not known.
There is a genetic (hereditary) risk.
There is also an unknown trigger that causes the beta cells to die.
You and your child did not cause this.
There is no way you could have prevented it.
How will diabetes affect my child’s life?
Your child is still the same.
Your child can still do everything they used to do. This includes:
School
Sports
Driving a car
Going to college
Having children in the future
What is type 2 diabetes?
The blood sugar is high but for different reasons.
Insulin is still made by the pancreas, but does not work well (insulin resistance).
People who are overweight, not active and have diabetes in their family are at risk for type 2 diabetes.
Meal planning, exercise, pills and insulin injections are used to control type 2 diabetes.
Hypoglycemia vs. Hyperglycemia
Hypoglycemia vs. Hyperglycemia
Hypo vs. Hyper – your Greek lesson for the day
Glycemia is defined as the presence of glucose in the blood.
Hypo comes from the Greek word hupo, which translates as under or, more typically, less.
Hyper is also a holdover from the Greeks, from the Greek word huper, which translates as over or above.
So extending that logic, hypoglycemia is a low blood sugar level and hyperglycemia is a high blood sugar level.
Now that we have that sorted...
What do they mean?
Maintaining a consistent blood sugar level is a key component of optimal health.
Here’s why:
When we eat sugar, our body creates a surge of the feel-good brain chemicals dopamine and serotonin. Immediately following, our pancreas kicks into gear producing insulin to absorb the excess glucose and help regulate our blood. Once the insulin has done its job, our blood sugar drops again, leaving us feeling cranky and drained. Our body craves more sugar to give it a temporary boost and the cycle continues.
In the long run, the highs and lows of this sugar cycle, coupled with increased consumption of sweet treats can lead to:
Weight gain
Wrinkles
Tooth decay
Insulin resistance
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Chronic kidney disease
There’s no silver lining. Whether it’s low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), or high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), both are bad for your overall health.
Dealing with Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia occurs when there is not enough glucose in your blood. It usually comes on suddenly and can happen after strenuous exercise or when you’ve waited too long to eat. Strictly speaking, you’re considered hypoglycemic when your blood glucose levels are less than 70 mg/dl.
Symptoms
If you’re not carrying around a blood testing kit, here are some other symptoms that may indicate a hypoglycemic state:
Sweating
Shakiness, dizziness, weakness
Anxiety
Rapid pulse
Irritability
(if you’re “hangry” – ‘hungry’ and ‘angry’ – chances are your blood sugar is low)
Headache
Fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Risks
Your brain needs glucose to function properly, so left untreated, low levels of blood sugar can lead to severe confusion and disorientation, seizures, loss of consciousness, coma, even death. It’s imperative to treat symptoms quickly.
Treatment
The first step in treatment is usually the consumption of a fast-acting carbohydrate, to supply sugar to the body and fast. This can be candy, fruit juice, a soft drink, or glucose tablets or gel. Protein should be avoided since it slows the body’s absorption of sugar and will interfere with a quick recovery.
After 15 minutes, recheck blood sugar levels and if they’re still under 70 mg/dL, treat with another 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate (e.g. 4 ounces of regular juice or soda, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons raisins, 7 Life Savers®). Repeat until blood sugar has risen above the 70 mg/dL mark.
In severe circumstances, if a person has become unconscious, someone else may have to administer a glucagon injection.
Long term, if you're prone to episodes of hypoglycemia, it’s important to treat the underlying cause. Consult with your doctor to find out what options are available to you.
Dealing with Hyperglycemia
Unlike hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia (too much sugar in your blood) usually occurs slowly, over the course of several hours or days. It can be brought on by illness, infection, certain medications, too much food, not enough insulin or exercise, or plain old stress.
Symptoms
Due to its slow onset, recognizing hyperglycemia can be difficult. Symptoms may include:
Increased fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Dizziness
Drowsiness
Headaches
Blurred vision
Irritability
Intense thirst
Increased urination
Involuntary weight loss
Excessive hunger
Risks
Left untreated, hyperglycemia can cause long-term complications, including problems in the extremities (hands and feet), bone and joint problems, nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, and cardiovascular disease.
Treatment
Acute occurrences of hyperglycemia may require emergency treatment in the form of fluid and electrolyte replacement and/or insulin therapy. Long-term, your health care professional may recommend a combination of the following:
Regular exercise as a way to control blood sugar.
Medication as prescribed by a health care professional.
A healthy diet that reduces the amount of sugary foods and drinks and encourages the consumption of whole foods.
Regular blood sugar monitoring to ensure you’re in the optimal range.
Insulin regulation to supplement and/or adjust your insulin levels, helping to temporarily correct a high level of sugar in the blood.
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