How do I feed a child with diabetes? | Diabetes in children

How do I feed a child with diabetes?

As already mentioned in the paragraph on treatment, the diet of a patient with type 1 diabetes has no effect on therapy. This means that a child with type 1 diabetes is theoretically allowed to eat anything he or she wants. There is no need for diabetes foods, nor is there any need to avoid sugar.

Nevertheless, this is not a free ticket to an uncontrolled, unhealthy diet. Ultimately, the same nutritional recommendations apply as for a healthy person who is not suffering from diabetes. Nevertheless, a diabetic’s diet and insulin therapy must be perfectly coordinated.

This serves to avoid unintentionally high or low blood sugar levels. Attention: Otherwise there is danger to life. Therefore, training for parents and children is essential.

Is diabetes in children curable?

Diabetes type 1 is still an incurable disease today. However, researchers are trying to develop new therapies that could lead to a cure. Research is also being conducted into “vaccines”.

At present, however, it is important to detect diabetes at an early stage so that the residual function of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas that have not yet been destroyed by autoimmune factors remains high. This has an impact on the intensity of insulin therapy, which is the most important part of the therapy. A well-adjusted patient with type 1 diabetes can lead a normal life without a reduced quality of life.

Influence on the school

The influence on the school is not a problem with the right organisation. It is first of all important to inform the school or kindergarten about the child’s illness. This ensures that teachers or educators can react correctly in an emergency.

In addition, fears and prejudices can be reduced by informing classmates, teachers and educators accordingly. This can prevent children from getting problems if they have to measure their blood sugar or inject insulin during school hours. In most cases, an outpatient nursing service can also take over these tasks if the children are too young or the teachers cannot/do not want to/may not want to/may take over this task. The sick child can of course take part in excursions, school trips or sports lessons. Since these activities may involve a change in insulin therapy, there should always be an exchange between parents and responsible persons before participation.

Application for a severely disabled person’s pass

In order to obtain a severely handicapped pass, one must meet special criteria. The most important criteria are the amount of therapy required and the impairment in everyday life caused by the illness. In order to obtain a pass, one must achieve a certain number of points on the scale for “degree of disability” (GdB).

The scale goes from 0-100. In order to obtain a severely disabled person’s card as a diabetic, one must achieve a score of at least 50. A score of 50 is achieved if the criteria – “minimum 4 insulin injections per day, self-adjusted dose and severe lifestyle restrictions” are met. ” are met. The increased effort involved, for example, in measuring blood sugar levels and injecting insulin at school is usually not enough.