Overview
Type 1 diabetes in children is a condition where your child's body stops making insulin. Insulin is an important hormone that helps sugar from food enter the body's cells for energy. Sugar from food also is called glucose. Without insulin, the body can't work as it should. To stay healthy, your child needs to get insulin through injections or an insulin pump. Type 1 diabetes in children used to be known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes.
Being told your child has type 1 diabetes can feel overwhelming, especially at first. You and your child, depending on their age, need to learn how to give insulin, count carbohydrates and check blood sugar levels regularly.
There's no cure for type 1 diabetes, but it can be managed. Thanks to new technology, it's easier than ever to track blood sugar and deliver insulin. These advances help children with type 1 diabetes live active, healthy lives.
Symptoms
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children typically come on quickly. Watch for symptoms such as:
- Feeling very thirsty.
- Needing to urinate often. This may include bed-wetting in a child who has already toilet trained.
- Feeling very hungry.
- Stomach pain, nausea or vomiting.
- Losing weight without trying.
- Feeling tired or low on energy.
- Mood changes or unusual behavior, such as irritability.
- Breath that smells fruity.
When to see a doctor
Contact your child's healthcare professional if you notice any of these symptoms. Getting a diagnosis and starting treatment right away can help prevent serious health issues.
Causes
The exact cause of type 1 diabetes isn't known. But in most people, the body's immune system — which typically protects against harmful germs — mistakenly attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas that make insulin. These cells are called islet cells or beta cells. Genetics and environmental factors, such as certain viruses, may raise the risk of this happening.
Once the islet cells of the pancreas are gone, your child's body makes little or no insulin. Insulin is important because it helps move sugar from the blood into the body's cells where it's used for energy. Sugar from food also is called glucose.
After you eat, sugar from food enters the bloodstream. Without enough insulin, that sugar builds up in the blood instead of reaching the cells. High blood sugar can lead to serious and even life-threatening health issues if not treated.
Risk factors
Type 1 diabetes typically begins in children, but it can start at any age. Several things may raise the risk of developing the condition:
- Family history. A child has a slightly higher risk if a parent or sibling has type 1 diabetes.
- Genetics. Some genes are linked to a higher chance of developing type 1 diabetes.
- Races and ethnic groups. In the United States, type 1 diabetes is more common in children who are white and not Hispanic than in children of other racial or ethnic groups.
- Infections caused by viruses. Exposure to certain viruses may play a role in triggering the immune system to attack the cells that make insulin in the pancreas.
Complications
Type 1 diabetes can affect many parts of the body. Keeping your child's blood sugar level as close to a healthy range as possible most of the time can greatly lower the risk of serious conditions related to diabetes. These conditions also are called complications.
Complications can include:
- Heart and blood vessel disease. Over time, diabetes can raise the risk of high blood pressure, narrowed blood vessels, heart disease and stroke. These issues typically develop later in life.
- Nerve damage. High blood sugar can damage the small blood vessels that supply blood to your child's nerves. This may lead to tingling, numbness, burning or pain, often in the hands and feet. Nerve damage tends to develop slowly over time.
- Kidney damage. Diabetes can harm the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys that filter waste from the blood. This may affect how well the kidneys work over time.
- Eye issues. High blood sugar can damage the blood vessels in the retina. The retina is the part of the eye that senses light. This damage can lead to vision changes or vision loss.
- Weaker bones, called osteoporosis. Diabetes may lessen bone strength, raising your child's risk of osteoporosis as an adult.
You can help protect your child's health by:
- Helping keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range as often as possible.
- Encouraging healthy eating and regular physical activity.
- Making sure to see the diabetes care team regularly for checkups and guidance.
Children with type 1 diabetes also are more likely to develop other autoimmune conditions, such as thyroid disease and celiac disease. Your child's healthcare professional may recommend testing for these conditions as part of ongoing care.
Prevention
Right now, there's no proven way to prevent type 1 diabetes. But researchers are working hard to find a way to prevent the condition, and it's a very active area of study.
In children at high risk of type 1 diabetes, certain autoantibodies can be found months or even years before symptoms begin. A blood test can find these autoantibodies. They are a warning sign that the immune system is attacking the cells that make insulin in the pancreas. Researchers are working on:
- Finding ways to prevent or delay type 1 diabetes in people who are at high risk of developing the disease.
- Stopping further damage to the cells that make insulin in people who have just been diagnosed.