Diabetes is the condition where there is an imbalance of sugars in the body and is potentially dangerous. It can occur due to a lack of insulin in the blood, due to no production of insulin or due to the system being immune to the effect of insulin.
In a toddler, diabetes is extremely dangerous, not because of its effect, this can be managed, but because of the difficulty in diagnosis. A toddler is unable to speak or clearly tell you what he or she is feeling. Furthermore,
toddlers suffering from diabetes will eat normally or more than normal which most parents consider being a sign of normalcy. However, there are signs which point to diabetes. If you note any or a combination of these, visit your doctor to get your child tested as precautionary measure.
Because of the lack of insulin or the lack of insulin absorption in the system, sugar in the food, which is used for energy, will not be absorbed into the various tissues and organs of the body. This will result in your toddler being extremely tired. Add to that, your toddler will be thirsty regularly. Drinking extra water will lead to extra urination as the kidneys will flush out extra water from the system. This will also take away some of the sugar but not all of it. Your toddler will thus feel dehydrated as most of the water will be passed out of the system. Furthermore, the cells will pass humidity into the blood to dilute the high level of sugar in it. This will further complicate the problem of dehydration.It is common for toddlers to suffer from side effects of diabetes. High sugar in the urine will lead to infections in toddlers who are using diapers as fungus thrives in such an environment.
The clearest sign of diabetes is weight loss. When your child’s body is starved of sugar due to insulin deficiency or due to insulin not acting properly, his/her body will begin to break down fat stored in the cells to release energy. However, this fat, which releases as sugar, will not help improve energy levels as the sugar will continue to not be absorbed into the body. This will speed up the process of weight loss which should be noticeable. Other symptoms that your child will suffer from include lethargy, excessive hunger, excessive thirst, and excessive urination.
Submitted by P T on March 24, 2010 at 01:06
Read more questions in Toddler Illness