A Rise Of Type 2 Diabetes In Kids: Causes, Symptoms and Diagnosis

Whenever we hear that someone has diabetes or we imagine a diabetes patient, we mostly think of a man or a woman well above the age of 40. We usually don’t imagine a kid with diabetes. But do you know that many healthcare institutes have reported that there has been an upsurge in the cases of juvenile diabetes since the last decade? This upsurge has been  found among kids and teens all below the age of 20; who not only have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, but also are ongoing diabetes treatment to manage them. But this was not the case before 20- 30 years ago. Juvenile diabetes were not such a common case back then. So what did happen? Why is their an upsurge? Let’s understand in brief.

If any kid has type 1 diabetes, it is difficult to evaluate the exact cause. Some might have inherited it from their genes. But in other cases, the exact cause can’t be said. But the upsurge is mainly for type 2 diabetes. The basic reason for that is their sedentary lifestyle. An inactive lifestyle has become a very huge concern all over the world. Whether it’s U.S.A or India, U.K or China, a lot of kids are not active enough and as a result, not healthy enough either. The main 2 reasons for the same are- unhealthy food choices and unhealthy everyday life. Obesity or being overweight is a major cause of type 2 diabetes too.

Let’s see what symptoms kids show when they have diabetes.

There are a few symptoms of diabetes such as, 

    • Your kid might be feeling very tired a lot all the time. 

    • Your kid might frequently get thirsty.

    • Your kid might take break to urinate very frequently . 

    • Your kid is always hungry even after eating. 

   • Your kid is gaining lot of weight recently but in some cases, your kid might be losing weight drastically as well. 

    • Your  child might have vision problems too. 

Do keep in mind that individually these symptoms might not mean anything life-threatening, but if your child is showing at least 4 of these symptoms, then there is a 90% chance that he is suffering from diabetes.

Any child with these symptoms should be taken to the doctor immediately. Since diabetes is still now a bit less common in children, doctors don’t immediately declare that they have diabetes. Some tests are needed to be done in such cases. A urine test to check the level of sugar in the body and a blood test to check the glucose level are usually the primary screening for diabetes.

But if your doctor has diagnosed your child with diabetes after these tests, then do not delay his or her diabetes treatment. Diabetes at a young age can cause further complications, especially in girls. So, it is essential to treat your child with medicines for diabetes and insulin, if needed.