Diabetes and Children

Increasingly, children are developing diabetes. It used to be that there was "juvenile diabetes" and "adult diabetes." Doctors now use the terms "type 1 diabetes" and "type 2 diabetes." This is because legions of children in this country have turned up in doctors' offices in recent years with type 2 diabetes (typically seen in adults), and adults can develop type 1 diabetes (typically diagnosed in people under age 18).

Children with diabetes should not be treated like miniature adults. Because their bodies are still developing, children require a treatment plan of their own. Their needs are different than an adult's and a unique strategy should be developed to address their concerns, such as how to manage diabetes while at school or the absences that might occur as a result of diabetes.

If your child has been diagnosed with diabetes, your greatest concern should be the care and attention you devote to managing the disease. You will reduce the risk of long-term complications by keeping your child's blood sugar in check. However, you will also instill lifelong values -- such as the importance of frequent glucose testing, scrupulous administration of medication, and healthy lifestyle choices -- that will serve your child well for many years to come.

Children require different diabetes treatment than adults.
Children require different diabetes treatment than adults.

Learn more about how diabetes affects different age groups, how to manage your child's diabetes, and how diabetes might affect your child's life.

Types of Childhood Diabetes
Children no longer only develop type 1 diabetes. The number of children who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has increased from 5 percent just 12 years ago to almost 45 percent today. Learn more about the types of diabetes that can affect children.

Childhood Diabetes and Blood Sugar
It's extremely important to manage a child's blood sugar levels. Although the side effects of high blood sugar might not immediately impact a child's life now, the long-term complications later in life could be serious, leading to a shorter life span. Learn more about childhood diabetes and blood sugar.

Managing Childhood Diabetes
Because children with diabetes require different care than adults, a unique strategy should be developed to help them manage their diabetes. Learn more about how to help your child manage diabetes.

Children and Diabetes Medications
Not all medications approved for use in adults are also approved for use in children. And the way the medications are used is different, too. Learn more about children and diabetes medications.

Childhood Diabetes Care by Age
Managing diabetes is an enormous responsibility, and most children aren't equipped to handle such responsibility without their parents' involvement. Learn how to help your child manage diabetes and set an example for your child to follow in adulthood.

Childhood Diabetes and Diet and Exercise
All children should eat a balanced, healthy diet, but depending on which type of diabetes your child has, your concerns about mealtime might be different. And all children should engage in some form of regular physical activity, but you need to be aware of how diabetes and exercise might affect your child. Learn more about childhood diabetes and diet and exercise.

Children and Diabetes Checkups
To ensure proper development and be certain that a child's risk of developing long-term complications is minimized, your child should follow a regular schedule of checkups with the doctor. Learn more about how often your child should see the doctor and what should be monitored at each doctor visit.

Diabetic Children and School Absences
School absences might occur every now and again as your child learns how to manage diabetes. Episodes of high or low blood sugar might send your child home feeling ill. Learn about how to cope with childhood diabetes and its effect on school.

To learn more about diabetes in general, including diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and treatment, visit our main Diabetes page.

 

Suggestions for a Diabetic Diet
One of the most important aspects of treating and controlling diabetes is monitoring the food you take into your body. However, there may be more wiggle room than you think. To learn more about proper nutrition and diabetes, try the following links:
  • Our main Diabetic Diet page will show you which food groups are diabetes-friendly and which ones you should avoid.  
  • Visit our Diabetic Recipes page to find simple, delicious meals you can make that won't send our blood sugar into a tailspin.  

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.