We see today the sudden and alarming increase of diabetes in children in many countries across the globe. What is the cause of this sharp rise and what are the long-term effects of the diabetes these children have to face all their lives? Here is a list of common FAQs on diabetes in youngsters.
Diabetes manifesting in the younger generation is referred to as ‘juvenile diabetes’. This is caused by the inability of the body to produce insulin. The pancreas is responsible for generating the hormone insulin, which is the hormone that burns the food we consume and breaks it down into energy. It is when the body does not know to produce sufficient insulin or if it simply cannot the insulin already present, that diabetes surfaces.
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Children with diabetes are becoming a major problem in this country and around the world. This childhood epidemic is growing. More children are overweight. According to the American Diabetes Association over 80% of children and adolescents that are getting the diabetes disease are overweight.
What is the concern?
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Our bodies depend on glucose for energy. In order for the body to utilize the glucose, the cells of the body have to extract it from the blood. To do this they need a hormone known as insulin. Insulin is produced in the pancreas. If the pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin or if the cells of the body do not respond correctly to the insulin that is produced the level of glucose in the blood will increase because the glucose is not being absorbed by the body’s cells. The result is a disease called diabetes mellitus or more commonly diabetes.
The normal glucose level in the blood is from 65 to 120 milligrams per deciliter or (mg/dL). Under normal circumstances this balance is maintained in spite of a surge of sugar following eating a meal or snack or a few hours without sugar when one doesn’t eat, for example, at night while sleeping. However, when insulin is not produced or utilized normally, the balance is disrupted and glucose levels either rise too high or fall too low. There are three types of diabetes mellitus: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes.
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