Diabetes mellitus has no age - this disease, regardless of the type, can develop in both an elderly person and a baby. Due to the similarity of the first signs of the disease with the symptoms of other ailments, usual overwork and lack of vitamins, the development of diabetes often goes unnoticed for a long time. Sometimes a child is admitted to the hospital in a serious condition, and only then the exact diagnosis becomes known.
Signs of diabetes
The severity of the first symptoms of diabetes depends on the type of disease. Insulin-dependent diabetes of the first type develops quickly - in a month or two, minor disturbances in well-being can turn into a diabetic coma, in infants this period is reduced to 2-3 weeks.
Non-insulin-dependent diabetes of the second type may not manifest itself for a long time, from the onset of the disease to the diagnosis it takes months, and sometimes years. Children aged 5-8 years and adolescents with the onset of puberty require special attention - these are periods of active growth, it is then that the disease most often manifests itself.
The following symptoms should alert parents:
- intense thirst;
- unexplained weight loss;
- increased urination;
- weakness, fatigue, apathy;
- increased craving for sweet foods;
- deterioration of health about an hour after eating.
With diabetes, the child constantly asks for a drink, even if it is not hot at home and outside. Patients often urinate, including at night. Weight loss is explained by the inability of the body to process incoming glucose due to lack of insulin - cells do not receive nutrition, the child loses weight, despite increased appetite.
Signs such as dryness and flaking of the skin, blurred vision, nausea are also common, and adolescent girls may have a disrupted menstrual cycle. Type II diabetes is often manifested by a decrease in immunity: children are easily infected with viral infections, small wounds and cuts do not heal well, and purulent skin infections (furunculosis, pyoderma) are not uncommon.
What else should you pay attention to?
The risk group includes children with a burdened heredity, as well as those who had a large birth weight (more than 4.5 kilograms), suffer from other metabolic disorders or are prone to frequent infectious diseases. Often, diabetes develops in children who receive intense physical activity, for example, young athletes, whose training regimen is not age-appropriate.
The onset of the disease can provoke the transferred stress - it can be either a serious nervous shock or a viral infection.
If the child has the smell of acetone from the mouth, increased symptoms such as thirst and frequent urination - this is a reason for emergency hospitalization. A breath smelling of acetone is the first sign of ketoacidosis, a formidable pathological condition that without treatment for several hours (sometimes days) develops into a diabetic coma. Also, the initial stage of ketoacidosis can be suspected if the child is sick, he complains of weakness, abdominal pain, with a general pronounced pallor on the cheekbones, a bright blush is noticeable.
