Children and Diabetes Management

By Moses Wright

The inability of the body's natural insulin to control blood sugar levels is called diabetes. Diabetes describes the condition of a failure of insulin to deliver glucose to the cells of the body for energy.

Type II diabetes occurs when the body use insulin is no longer effective in the metabolism of glucose. When a child gets diabetes, it is usually type I diabetes. In type I diabetes, the body does not produce any or enough insulin.

Insulin is necessary, therefore children with type I diabetes must take insulin injections or use insulin pump therapy. The insulin delivered into the blood controls the glucose levels of prevents the blood glucose levels from rising dangerously high.

Once a child is diagnosed with diabetes, the parents must educate themselves on how to manage the diabetes and help their children live a healthy lifestyle. Many factors affect children and diabetes.

Parents may feel overwhelmed when their child is diagnosed with type I diabetes. Parents must learn how to manage the diabetes and how things like illness, stress, and exercise can affect diabetes.

Eventually, diabetes management will become part of daily routine and is likely to seem less stressful as time goes on. There are many resources to help parents who have children with diabetes.

Support groups for people with diabetes can often be found through hospitals. Many hospitals also have educational classes for people with diabetes and their families. Support groups and educational classes can provide a wealth of information as well as emotional support.

Articles containing general information about diabetes as well as articles specifically about children and diabetes can be found on the website of the American Diabetes Association. Through this website, parents can also request more information about diabetes. The website also has a section for children who have diabetes to help them learn about diabetes as well is give them an opportunity to interact with other children with diabetes.

If the child is school age, parents should discuss the child's diabetes management with the school's nurse. Parents should know how the school personnel will handle a diabetic emergency if one should arise.

The parents should feel free to ask their physician questions about their child's health or diabetes management. Parents can begin to feel more confident and less overwhelmed as they become better educated about diabetes management. - 29887

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