What is diabetes for kids

The doctor will use a blood test to measure the amount of sugar glucose in the blood. High blood sugars show that a kid has diabetes. Then, the doctor will do more blood tests to find out what type it is. Kids who have type 1 diabetes have to pay a little more attention to what they eat and do than kids without diabetes.

They need to:. Kids with diabetes will have to do special things sometimes, like eat a snack on the bus during a long school trip. Or they might have to wake up earlier than everyone else at a sleepover to take their insulin and have some breakfast to keep their blood sugar levels under control.

Although this might seem like a lot of work, the good news is that new products and equipment can help make it easier for kids to take care of their diabetes. Scientists are looking for ways to make it easier to check blood sugar levels and give insulin.

They're also trying to find ways to get insulin into the body without shots. And there's hope that one day a cure will be found. Even though kids with diabetes have to do some special things, it doesn't keep them from doing the stuff they love. They can still play sports, go out with their friends, and go on trips.

So if you have a friend with diabetes, let him or her know you can deal with it. Being friends is all about having fun together, not having a perfect pancreas! Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Is Diabetes? Your child will have an appointment with an endocrinologist, diabetes nurse educator and diabetes dietitian a few weeks after their diagnosis. Following this appointment, diabetes care involves an outpatient appointment every three to four months with the endocrinologist.

The nurse educators, dietitians and social workers are available to be contacted in between your child's endocrinologist appointments for support with diabetes management.

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease, where the body's immune system accidentally attacks part of the pancreas, destroying the cells that produce insulin. It is not caused by anything the child ate, medications, or environmental exposure. Type 1 diabetes is a life-long and life-changing diagnosis.

It requires constant, careful management to ensure good control. Poor control can lead to problems with all parts of the body, especially the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and brain. With careful management, people can live a healthy, long life, with minimal disruptions and complications. We acknowledge the input of RCH consumers and carers.

To donate, visit www. This information is intended to support, not replace, discussion with your doctor or healthcare professionals. The authors of these consumer health information handouts have made a considerable effort to ensure the information is accurate, up to date and easy to understand. The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne accepts no responsibility for any inaccuracies, information perceived as misleading, or the success of any treatment regimen detailed in these handouts.

Information contained in the handouts is updated regularly and therefore you should always check you are referring to the most recent version of the handout.

The onus is on you, the user, to ensure that you have downloaded the most up-to-date version of a consumer health information handout. The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. Diabetes Diabetes is a chronic long-term condition, in which a high level of glucose sugar is present in the bloodstream. There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes: the most common type of diabetes affecting children and teenagers in Australia.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the body not having enough insulin. Without insulin, glucose levels will build up in the blood. Type 1 diabetes is treated by replacing the insulin and managing blood glucose levels.

Type 2 diabetes: rarely occurs during childhood and adolescence. Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body being resistant to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is treated with diet, weight loss and oral medications in the majority of cases.

Signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes Your child may have type 1 diabetes if they show the following symptoms: extreme thirst constant hunger sudden weight loss frequent urination weeing blurred vision nausea and vomiting lethargy feeling very tired.

Type 1 Diabetes: What Is It? Nemours Foundation Also in Spanish. Diagnosis and Tests. Prevention and Risk Factors. Treatments and Therapies. Living With. Related Issues. Statistics and Research. Clinical Trials. Article: Elaboration and validation of an e-book with the laws about diabetes Article: Determining diagnosis date of diabetes using structured electronic health record EHR Article: Prevalence of and risk factors for diabetes mellitus in the school-attending Diabetes in Children and Teens -- see more articles.