What causes diabetes in children

If your child has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you probably have questions. Here are the basics. 

People who have type 1 diabetes can’t use glucose (the body’s main type of sugar) for energy. That’s because their body stopped making the hormone insulin. Normally, after we eat, the amount of glucose in the blood (blood sugar) goes up. When it does, the pancreas sends insulin into the blood. Insulin works like a key that opens the doors of the body’s cells to let the glucose in, giving the cells the energy they need.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas doesn’t make insulin. Without insulin, glucose can't get into the cells. It stays in the blood, which leads to high blood sugar. Having too much sugar in the blood isn’t healthy and can cause problems. Some problems happen quickly and need treatment right away, while others develop over time and show up later in life.

What Happens in Type 1 Diabetes?

In type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. So the body can’t make insulin anymore.

This is different from type 2 diabetes, where the body still makes insulin, but the insulin doesn’t work as it should.

Why Do Some People Get Type 1 Diabetes?

No one knows for sure why some people get type 1 diabetes. Doctors and scientists think a person’s genes make them more likely to get it. But just having the genes for diabetes probably isn't enough. It’s likely that something else needs to happen. Scientists are studying if other things — like some viral infections, a person’s birth weight, or their diet — might make someone who already has the genes for type 1 diabetes more likely to get it.

Type 1 diabetes can’t be prevented, and can happen in people of any age.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes can come on over time or suddenly. Sometimes, kids don’t have diabetes symptoms yet and the condition is discovered when blood or urine tests are done for another reason. Kids who show symptoms may:

• need to pee a lot
• start to wet the bed after having been dry at night
• be thirstier and drink more than usual
• feel tired often
• lose weight

How Is Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosed?

Doctors use a blood test that measures the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. High blood sugars show that a child has diabetes. Then, the doctor will do more blood tests to find out what type it is.

Kids with type 1 diabetes often go to a pediatric endocrinologist. This kind of doctor finds and treats problems affecting hormones, like diabetes.

How Is Type 1 Diabetes Treated?

Type 1 diabetes needs lifelong treatment because there is no cure yet. Doctors treat type 1 diabetes using a diabetes care plan. The care plan tells you and your child the things to do every day to help keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range.

Each child’s diabetes care plan is made just for them. But all plans have the same 4 basic parts:

• take insulin (by injection or an insulin pump)
• eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes counting carbohydrates
• check blood sugar levels at least 4 times a day
• get regular physical activity

Following the diabetes care plan helps kids stay healthy, now and into the future.

What Problems Can Happen With Type 1 Diabetes?

Not having the right amount of sugar in the blood can lead to:

• hyperglycemia: This is when blood sugars are too high. Kids with hyperglycemia may be extra thirsty, pee more than usual, and lose weight. High blood sugars can be treated. If they aren’t, kids can develop health issues later in life.
• diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA): This serious condition needs treatment right away. When there’s not enough insulin in the body to let the glucose into the cells, the body starts to break down fat instead of sugar. Symptoms of DKA can include nausea, vomiting, belly pain, fast breathing, and, in severe cases, unconsciousness.
• hypoglycemia: This is when blood sugars are too low and can sometime happen when people are being treated for diabetes. Symptoms can include headache, weakness, shakiness, anxiety, and sweating.
• growth and development problems: Some kids might grow slower than their peers or start puberty (when kids start growing into adults) later than usual.

How Can Parents Help?

Now is the perfect time to help your child to create healthy habits for life. Here’s how:

• Get involved with daily care. Help your child put their care plan into action every day. From counting carbs, to calculating insulin doses, and giving injections, there’s a lot to learn at first. Share the responsibilities with your child. Over time, they’ll be able to take on more on their own. Turn to your child’s care team with any questions about the care plan or daily care.
• Learn all you can about diabetes. The more you know about type 1 diabetes, the more confident you’ll feel about helping your child manage it day to day. And a solid understanding of diabetes lets you advocate for your child. You can share your knowledge with important people in your child’s life, like grandparents, teachers, coaches, and babysitters. Doing so helps you build a community of support for your child.
• Encourage your child. It can take a while to adjust to the new responsibilities that come with type 1 diabetes. Remind your child that many kids their age have type 1 diabetes, and they follow a similar care plan. If your child has concerns that you’re not sure how to handle, ask the care team. They’ll connect you with the right resources.

Having a child with type 1 diabetes may seem overwhelming at times, but you're not alone. If you have questions or problems, reach out to your child’s diabetes care team — they can help with all kinds of issues, and will guide your family through this journey.

You also can learn more about type 1 diabetes online:

There’s a growing type 2 diabetes problem in our young people. But parents can help turn the tide with healthy changes that are good for the whole family.

Until recently, young children and teens almost never got type 2 diabetes, which is why it used to be called adult-onset diabetes. Now, about one-third of American youth are overweight, a problem closely related to the increase in kids with type 2 diabetes, some as young as 10 years old.

Weight Matters

People who are overweight—especially if they have excess belly fat—are more likely to have insulin resistance, kids included. Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that acts like a key to let blood sugar into cells for use as energy. Because of heredity (traits inherited from family members) or lifestyle (eating too much and moving too little), cells can stop responding normally to insulin. That causes the pancreas to make more insulin to try to get cells to respond and take in blood sugar.

As long as enough insulin is produced, blood sugar levels remain normal. This can go on for several years, but eventually the pancreas can’t keep up. Blood sugar starts to rise, first after meals and then all the time. Now the stage is set for type 2 diabetes.

Insulin resistance usually doesn’t have any symptoms, though some kids develop patches of thickened, dark, velvety skin called acanthosis nigricans, usually in body creases and folds such as the back of the neck or armpits. They may also have other conditions related to insulin resistance, including:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Polycystic ovary syndrome

Activity Matters

Being physically active lowers the risk for type 2 diabetes because it helps the body use insulin better, decreasing insulin resistance. Physical activity improves health in lots of other ways, too, from controlling blood pressure to boosting mental health.

Age Matters

Kids who get type 2 diabetes are usually diagnosed in their early teens. One reason is that hormones present during puberty make it harder for the body use insulin, especially for girls, who are more likely than boys to develop type 2 diabetes. That’s an important reason to help your kids take charge of their health while they’re young.

More Risk Factors

These factors also increase kids’ risk for type 2 diabetes:

• Having a family member with type 2 diabetes.
• Being born to a mom with gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant).
• Being African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaska Native, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
• Having one or more conditions related to insulin resistance.

If your child is overweight and has any two of the risk factors listed above, talk to your doctor about getting his or her blood sugar tested. Testing typically begins at 10 years old or when puberty starts, whichever is first, and is repeated every 3 years.

Parents can do a lot to help their kids prevent type 2 diabetes. Set a new normal as a family—healthy changes become habits more easily when everyone does them together. Here are some tips to get started:

Mealtime Makeover

• Drink more water and fewer sugary drinks.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Make favorite foods healthier.
• Get kids involved in making healthier meals.
• Eat slowly—it takes at least 20 minutes to start feeling full.
• Eat at the dinner table only, not in front of the TV or computer.
• Shop for food together.
• Shop on a full stomach so you’re not tempted to buy unhealthy food.
• Teach your kids to read food labels to understand which foods are healthiest.
• Have meals together as a family as often as you can.
• Don’t insist kids clean their plates.
• Don’t put serving dishes on the table.
• Serve small portions; let kids ask for seconds.
• Reward kids with praise instead of food.

Getting Physical

• Aim for your child to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day, in several 10- or 15-minute sessions or all at once.
• Start slow and build up.
• Keep it positive—focus on progress.
• Take parent and kid fitness classes together.
• Make physical activity more fun; try new things.
• Ask kids what activities they like best—everyone is different.
• Encourage kids to join a sports team.
• Have a “fit kit” available—a jump rope, hand weights, resistance bands.
• Limit screen time to 2 hours a day.
• Plan active outings, like hiking or biking.
• Take walks together.
• Move more in and out of the house—vacuuming, raking leaves, gardening.
• Turn chores into games, like racing to see how fast you can clean the house.

A recent study showed that when the amount of TV kids watched was limited, they lost weight—but not because they were more active when they weren’t watching. The difference was snacking: kids ate more when they were watching TV than when doing other activities, even sedentary (not physically active) ones.

Encourage your kids to reach for fruit, the original fast food.

Young kids and teens are still growing, so if they’re overweight the goal is to slow down weight gain while allowing normal growth and development. Don’t put them on a weight loss diet without talking to their doctor.