What care to expect when your child has diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly. Glucose comes from the digestion of starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes, chapatis, yams and plantain, from sugar and other sweet foods, and from the liver which makes glucose.

Insulin is vital for life. It is a hormone produced by the pancreas, which helps the glucose to enter the cells where it is used as fuel by the body.

The main symptoms of untreated diabetes are increased thirst, going to the loo all the time (especially at night), extreme tiredness, weight loss, genital itching or regular episodes of thrush, and blurred vision.

Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes develops if the body is unable to produce any insulin. This type of diabetes usually appears before the age of 40. It is treated by insulin injections and diet.

Type 2 (non insulin dependent) diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance). This type of diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40, though often appears before the age of 40 in South Asian and African-Caribbean people. It is treated by diet alone or by diet and tablets or, sometimes, by diet and insulin injections.

The main aim of treatment of both types of diabetes is to achieve near normal blood glucose and blood pressure levels. This, together with a healthy lifestyle, will help to improve wellbeing and protect against long-term damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and major arteries.

Introduction

This leaflet is for parents of children with diabetes. It describes the sort of care your child needs to keep well and healthy. We use the term child/children to mean anyone who is seen in a paediatric setting, including teenagers.

The main aim of treatment for diabetes is to relieve the unpleasant symptoms of high and low blood glucose by maintaining ‘near normal’ blood glucose levels. Good diabetes control is not always easy to achieve. Most young people – and their parents – have difficulties with this at one time or another. But, with the support of your specialist children’s (paediatric) diabetes care team, your child will be able to lead an active, healthy life with normal growth and development.

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