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Sure Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes in Children

December 29th, 2011 Comments off

Diabetes Mellitus is a problem in metabolism specifically on the production of insulin used to convert sugar and starch for energy. The cells in our body would experience hunger and thus cause you to be weak once this is not treated immediately. Diabetes in children is a common condition and when it is not detected at an earlier time, complications can happen and it can have certain effects on the organs of the body like the heart, kidney and even the eyes. The complications can be irreversible and it would then be very hard to follow a treatment regimen.

There are two types of Diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus is due to the destruction of cells of the pancreas that produces insulin thus there is none enough to metabolize sugar creating the different signs and symptoms. Type 2 Diabetes on the other hand is a condition wherein the body resists insulin or there is only a little amount of insulin produced. This type can be managed by change in lifestyle and following a healthy diet and exercise. The first type is what commonly occurs on children.

When someone is said to have this metabolic problem, the person can experience the common symptoms of diabetes which can already alarm him to seek medical attention. These symptoms are very noticeable that is why you need to learn about them. If you have diabetes, you will experience, extreme weakness due to the lack of food that are needed by the cells for energy, extreme thirst and hunger that is why you want to drink and eat all the time, frequent urination, irritability and sometimes blurry vision and either weight loss or weight gain.

A sure sign of diabetes in children is frequent urination. This can be explained due to the fact that when the brain detects that there is too much glucose in the bloodstream, it will alert the kidneys of the body to excrete it in the urine thus there is excessive urination. It can also be evident that when the urine is tested, there is the presence of glucose in large amounts which is not normal. Aside from that since the child will urinate at frequent times, he will replenish it by drinking a lot of water. Cell thirst also occurs when someone has diabetes.

Moreover, when a child has diabetes there is evident weight loss. This is due to the fact that despite eating more due to the condition, the body will not be able to break it down due to the absence of insulin. That is why, the cells will just get its food from the stored fats and protein which can cause muscle wasting and thus decrease the weight of the child. Due to the lack of food in the cells, the child will be noticed to be weak and not active when it comes to doing different activities or playing around just like what a normal child does.

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Numbness Tingling in Hands & Fingers – Symptoms of Diabetes

December 29th, 2011 Comments off

First answer the following questions

Do you wake up daily with tingling feet or hands?
Does your foot tingle almost every time when you sit down?
Are you blaming “sleeping” hands and feet often?

If the answer to one or more of the above questions is yes, then I’m happy that you are reading this. The numbness or tingling in your hand or feet can be a warning sign. You’re reading this article means that you care for your health.

Some other names of numbness or tingling are

Neuropathy
Loss of sensation
Paresthesias
Sensory Loss
Restless leg Syndrome

Type 2 diabetes comes slowly and the sufferer sometimes remains unaware of its happening. It is a condition that causes the blood sugar level to rise. The high-level of blood glucose damages the body systems including the nervous system. This damage to the nerves causes numbness or tingling sensation.

If still you are not sure that whether you have diabetes then check for the following symptoms

Constant tingling
Constant numbness
Excessive thirst
Frequent urination
Hunger after eating
Fatigue
Mood swings
Sudden weight loss

If you have got any of the above symptoms it does bot mean that your are diabetic. It is better to see a medical health professional nearby. You can keep a log of when you notice the above symptoms so you can answer the queries of doctor intelligently. Tingling or numbness is normally ignored for a longtime because the feeling is similar to having hand or feet fall asleep. Numbness or tingling can be defined as inability to feel the touch of anything on skin. One must contact doctor if

He has a rash
He feels dizziness or muscle spam
He has numbness or tingling because of no obvious reason
He has tingling in his wrists and fingers
He has tingling in feet which gets worse while walking
He has a pain in forearms, fingers
The symptoms of tingling are worst during the nighttime.

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Diabetes Signs and Symptoms – Detect and Protect Yourself Or Your Child Now

December 29th, 2011 Comments off

Most people completely ignore diabetes signs and symptoms. This can be a deadly decision. It is estimated that nearly 27% of the population has this disease (either diagnosed, undiagnosed or pre-diabetes). Ignoring the easy to look for symptoms does not make it go away. In fact, it makes you more and more likely to lose your life to it. And as you will see at the end of this article, it can very quickly kill you.

I myself ignored all the classic signs and was within two weeks of dying when a chiropractor actually recognized it as diabetes and sent me to a doctor right away for treatment. So what are the diabetes signs and symptoms you can look for yourself or your child previous to seeking a medical opinion?

Thirst and Frequent Urination

Perhaps the easiest way to tell if you have out-of-control diabetes is to watch for an excessive thirst and subsequently frequent urination. Before I was diagnosed I had such a thirst that even after drinking a gallon of water would not go away. It would be followed by having to visit the restroom 20 to 40 times a day. Talk about embarrassing.

Tired All the Time

Another obvious symptom is constant tiredness or fatigue. People often mistake out-of-control diabetes with Fibromyalgia, Mononucleosis, the Flu and other diseases because of the tiredness and weakness it creates. You may also feel nauseous like you have the flu. A high blood sugar level will make you feel bad in general (like when you told your parents, “I don’t feel so good todayl”).

Hungry All the Time

Your cells need constant energy in the form of glucose. The problem with diabetes is that the sugar is not getting into the cells and instead stays in the bloodstream. Eventually the sugar is eliminated through the urine – but not before taking a very damaging route.

Because your body is not getting the energy it needs, it tries to take in more and more food to compensate. It is a destructive circle because the sugar crystals in your bloodstream are like little razors inside the vessels. Destroying your eyes, kidneys, feet, nerves and just about everything else becomes their task. And this is where most long term diabetic complications come from.

Rapid Weight Loss

Weight loss is the result of your body dumping most of its internal glucose (all food turns to glucose in the body or is eliminated). I lost over 30 pounds in a few months despite hitting the Las Vegas buffets a little too often. Doesn’t sound like such a bad symptom but you are doing incredible damage to your body to lose this weight. If you are in this stage, you are also likely in a condition called ‘Ketoacidosis’ and are weeks from dying.

Headaches

A headache can be a common symptom — but if it’s mixed with some of the previous symptoms, find a doctor right away. It will eventually kill you. What is happening is because sugar is not getting to your brain cells. Oxygen is also not getting to them and creates swelling of the brain.

Hair Loss

One of the most unfortunate symptoms of diabetes is unexpected hair loss. Right before I was diagnosed, I was almost pulling clumps of hair out. It quickly stopped and reversed once I was started on insulin.

Conclusion

They should teach diabetes education to every child as a required class so that when they begin to see the classic diabetes signs and symptoms in their bodies, they know to seek medical advice before it is too late.

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Diabetes – Could Your Child Have It?

December 29th, 2011 Comments off

Obesity is on the rise in the United States, and it isn’t news that many of the increasingly obese are children. Along with this trend has come another even more disturbing trend and that’s the rise of type 2 diabetes among children.

If you suspect that your child might have diabetes, there are things you can do. The first thing is to examine the symptoms. Type 2 diabetes can develop slowly and some children won’t show any signs or experience any symptoms, but those you should watch for are:

1. Increased thirst and frequent urination When sugar builds up in the bloodstream, fluid is pulled from the tissues. The result is thirst. As your child drinks more than usual, they may also urinate more than usual.

2. Increased hunger When there isn’t enough insulin, sugar can’t move into the cells and the child’s muscles and organs run out of energy. This leads to hunger.

3. Weight loss Even though your child may be eating more than ever, the energy that sugar supplies isn’t reaching the cells and so the muscle tissues and fat stores are shrinking. As a result, your child may actually be losing weight.

4. Fatigue When sugar doesn’t reach the cells, the result is tiredness and irritability.

5. Blurred vision When the blood sugar is too high, fluid may be drawn away from the lenses of the eyes, which can affect the ability to focus clearly.

6. Slow-healing of sores and/or frequent infections Diabetes can affect your child’s ability to resist infections and to heal.

7. Areas of darkened skin One sign of insulin resistance is a condition called acantosis nigricans, dark, velvety skin in the body’s folds and creases (e.g., in the armpits and neck).

The next thing you should consider is your child’s risk.

Does your child have a body mass index (BMI) over the 85th percentile?

Do they have parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or cousin with type 2 diabetes?

Is your child African-American, Hispanic, Native American, or Asian-American?

Is your child a girl? (Childhood diabetes is more common in girls than boys.)

Is your child overweight and/or inactive?

Type 2 diabetes is a serious and complex disease, but it is a treatable one, and the sooner it is diagnosed, the sooner that treatment can start. If you suspect that you child might have type 2 diabetes, these signs and symptoms may help you decide if it’s time to make a doctor’s appointment.

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