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Kids and Diabetes 


 

When most people think of diabetes, they usually either think of young kids with type 1 diabetes who need daily insulin shots or older, overweight adults with Type II diabetes.

Now though, with the childhood obesity epidemic, there has also been a big increase in the number of children with type 2 diabetes, which used to be thought of as adult onset diabetes

   Diabetes Risk Factors

  • Obesity or being overweight is one of the biggest risk factors for diabetes, both in kids and adults. You can use our BMI calculator to see if your children are overweight. If they are, it would be a good idea to discuss it with your Peditrician, help them to eat a more healthy diet, and increase their physical activity.
  • Ethnic background can also be a risk factor for diabetes, which is more common in American Indian, African-American, Hispanic American, and Asians/South Pacific Islander children.
  • Family history of diabetes, especially in first- and second-degree relatives, can also be a risk factor for children developing type 2 diabetes. Unlike kids with type I diabetes, who usually only have a 5% chance of having a family member with diabetes, type 2 diabetics have a 74-100% chance of having a family member with diabetes.

 

  Symptoms of Diabetes

In children with type 1 diabetes, the typical symptoms are:

  • increased urination
  • increased drinking
  • weight loss.

 

  Testing Children for Diabetes

All children who are at risk for diabetes should be tested or screened, beginning when they start puberty or by age 10, since most kids are diagnosed during middle-to-late puberty.

The American Diabetic Association considers kids at risk and requiring testing if they are overweight and has any two other risk factors, including:

  • a family history of type 2 diabetes in first- and second-degree relatives,
  • belonging to a certain race/ethnic group (American Indians, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asians/South Pacific Islanders),
  • having signs of insulin resistance or conditions associated with insulin resistance
Some children who don't meet these criteria may also be tested based on a your Pediatrician's clinical judgement.

Testing for type 2 diabetes should usually include a fasting plasma glucose level, which will be high (hyperglycemia) if your child has diabetes. Other tests might include a urine glucose test, which will likely show sugar in the child's urine.

 

Since your child is likely overweight if he is being tested for type 2 diabetes, he should usually also have his cholesterol tested at this time.

 

If testing is normal, you should still help your child be more active and have a more healthy diet. While your child is at risk, testing is usually repeated every two years.

 

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