Parents are being alerted to signs of diabetes in children. The signs could lead to a severe illness called ketoacidosis, which can kill.
Child patients then need insulin treatment, exercise and strict timing of meal and the compostion of their diet. The balance leads to a healthy lifestyle.
Childhood diabetes,'Type 1 diabetes' can impact upon a child of any age. It normally affects those aged below 20 and the most affected age is 12.
The illness' main symptoms are polyuria, discharge of unsually great quantities of urine, and polydipsia, extreme thirst. Weight loss is also entailed.
"Hence, the affected children will have a tendency to urinate frequently.
They are also usually rather thin despite an increase in appetite. This is because of dehydration and catabolism of muscle and fat," he explained.
A complication of childhood diabetes is hypoglycaemia. At a later stage in the sufferer's life, usually 10 years after diagnosis, there may be eye, heart or kidney failure.
Childhood Diabetes Alert
Tue, 06 Sep 2005
