How can I recognize the signs?

Often a diabetic first appears with unspecific symptoms. These are usually not initially interpreted as a metabolic disease. The most common symptoms in children are polyuria and polydipsia.

Polyuria is the technical term for urinating more frequently than usual. This can be shown by wetting. Dry” children who start to wet their bed again are conspicuous. Polydipsia describes a pathologically increased thirst. This is often associated with polyuria.

Other symptoms

In addition to the most common symptoms mentioned above, unintentional weight loss is frequently observed in about half of the children affected. An unfounded tiredness (lethargy) can also be observed in some children. The increased fluid loss can lead to hardening of the stool and then to constipation (medical term: constipation).

This can then manifest itself in the form of abdominal pain, among other things. Children also complain of more frequent headaches. Vomiting is also noted as an accompanying symptom in some children.

A further, not uncommon symptom is fungal infections. If these occur in the mouth, one speaks of so-called oral thrush (oral thrush, often caused by Candida albicans). A vaginal fungal infection can also be observed in girls/young women.

Vomiting in the context of diabetes is often a sign of a high blood sugar level that persists over a long period of time. This metabolic derailment is called ketoacidosis. Those affected have a strong thirst and an acetone smell in their breath.

This is reminiscent of nail polish remover, for example. Vomiting is therefore only one of several symptoms that can occur. Other symptoms of ketoacidosis are: polyuria, lethargy and nausea.

Treatment

Unlike the treatment for type 2 diabetes, type 1 can only be treated with insulin therapy. The reason for this is that the two types have a different cause. While conservative treatment approaches (weight reduction, change of diet, sports, medication, etc.)

may be an option for type 2 diabetics, these are ineffective in patients with type 1 diabetes. Only insulin therapy alone helps the children and later the affected adult to lead a “normal” life. This therapy can be implemented by conventional injection of insulin with syringes or by the application of an insulin pump, which is more frequently used in children.

For both procedures, children and initially especially the parents must undergo special training. There they learn, among many other things, how to calculate insulin doses. These doses can change significantly not only due to the planned meals, but also due to stress at school, sports and other activities.

A prerequisite for this is always the regular measurement of blood sugar. The doses and frequency of applications depend on the insulin regimen. A distinction is made here between conventional insulin therapy and intensive insulin therapy.