Type 2 diabetes in children
DEFINITION
Type 2 diabetes in children is a chronic condition that affects the way your child’s body metabolizes sugar (glucose).
Type 2 diabetes is a disease more commonly associated with adults. In fact, it used to be called adult-onset diabetes. But type 2 diabetes in children is on the rise, fueled largely by the obesity epidemic.
There’s plenty you can do to help manage or prevent type 2 diabetes in children. Encourage your child to eat healthy foods, get plenty of physical activity and maintain a healthy weight. If diet and exercise aren’t enough to control type 2 diabetes in children, oral medication or insulin treatment may be needed.
CAUSES
Type 2 diabetes develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin or when the pancreas stops producing enough insulin. Exactly why this happens is unknown, although excess weight, inactivity and genetic factors seem to be important.
Insulin: The key for sugar
Insulin is a hormone that comes from the pancreas, a gland located just behind the stomach. When your child eats, the pancreas secretes insulin into the bloodstream. As insulin circulates, it acts like a key by unlocking microscopic doors that allow sugar to enter your child’s cells. Insulin lowers the amount of sugar in your child’s bloodstream. As your child’s blood sugar level drops, so does the secretion of insulin from the pancreas.
Glucose: The energy source
Glucose — sugar — is a major source of energy for the cells that make up muscles and other tissues. Glucose comes from two main sources: the food your child eats and your child’s liver. During digestion, sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. Normally, sugar then enters cells with the help of insulin.
Liver: Production and storage
The liver acts as a glucose storage and manufacturing center. When your child’s insulin levels are low — when your child hasn’t eaten in a while, for example — the liver releases the stored glucose to keep your child’s glucose level within a normal range.
In type 2 diabetes, this process doesn’t work well. Instead of moving into your child’s cells, sugar builds up in his or her bloodstream. This occurs when your child’s pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or your child’s cells become resistant to the effect of insulin.
SYMPTOMS
Type 2 diabetes in children may develop gradually. Some children who have type 2 diabetes have no signs or symptoms. Others experience:
- Increased thirst and urination. As excess sugar builds up in your child’s bloodstream, fluid is pulled from the tissues. This may leave your child thirsty. As a result, your child may drink — and urinate — more than usual.
- Increased hunger. Without enough insulin to move sugar into your child’s cells, your child’s muscles and organs become depleted of energy. This triggers hunger.
- Weight loss. Despite eating more than usual to relieve hunger, your child may lose weight. Without the energy that sugar supplies to your cells, muscle tissues and fat stores simply shrink.
- Fatigue. If your child’s cells are deprived of sugar, he or she may become tired and irritable.
- Blurred vision. If your child’s blood sugar is too high, fluid may be pulled from the lenses of your child’s eyes. This may affect your child’s ability to focus clearly.
- Slow-healing sores or frequent infections. Type 2 diabetes affects your child’s ability to heal and resist infections.
When to see a doctor
See your child’s doctor if your child is at high risk of type 2 diabetes. To diagnose type 2 diabetes before it does serious damage, diabetes screening is recommended for all children and adolescents at high risk, even if they have no signs or symptoms of the condition. Your child may be at high risk if he or she:
- Has a body mass index (BMI) above the 85th percentile
- Has a sibling, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin with type 2 diabetes
- Is black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian-American or Pacific Islander, as these racial groups have a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes
- Has signs of insulin resistance, such as darkened skin on the neck or armpits
Talk to your child’s doctor if you’re concerned about diabetes or if you notice any of the signs or symptoms of type 2 diabetes — increased thirst and urination, increased hunger, weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, or frequent infections.
