Prevention of Diabetes Mellitus in Children: A Memo for Parents

Diabetes mellitus in children is a change in carbohydrate and other metabolism in the body.

It is based on a lack of insulin. Quite often, it leads to chronic hyperglycemia.

Statistics show that every 500th child suffers from diabetes mellitus.

Unfortunately, for the coming years, experts predict an increase in this indicator.

At-risk groups

The leading factor in the formation of diabetes mellitus in a child is hereditary predisposition. This may be evidenced by the increased frequency of family cases of the manifestation of the disease in close relatives. These can be parents, grandmothers, sisters, brothers.

The following factors may contribute to the development of diabetes in children with a predisposition:

• artificial feeding;
• surgical interventions;
• strong stressful situations.

The risk group also includes children whose birth weight is more than 4.5 kg, who lead an inactive lifestyle, are obese. The secondary form of diabetes can develop with disorders of the pancreas.

“12817”] Diabetes mellitus is often provoked by various genetic syndromes: porphyria, Prader-Willi, Wolfram.

Basic principles of diabetes prevention in preschool children and adolescents

Prevention of diabetes in school-age children, adolescents includes the following measures:

• medical examination 2 times a year (if there are relatives who suffer from diabetes);
• strengthening immunity with vegetables, fruits, vitamin complexes, sports;
• careful use of hormonal drugs (it is impossible to self-medicate various diseases in this case);
• treatment of viral diseases, disorders of the pancreas;
• providing psychological comfort: the child should not be nervous, depressed, or under stress.

Type 1

If a child develops type 1 diabetes, parents should take regular glucose measurements.

If necessary, the sugar level is adjusted with insulin injections.

To overcome the disease, the child must follow a special diet.

“12817”] With a change in diet, constant physical activity, you can achieve a stable remission.

2 types

Taking into account all risk factors, specialists have developed international programs for the prevention of childhood type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Physical activity and a healthy lifestyle play a major role . Children with type 2 diabetes need to stay active.

With physical exertion, the body becomes more sensitive to insulin.

Memo for parents

In order for the disease to proceed without complications and the child’s quality of life to remain at a high level, parents must follow certain recommendations. The following will describe the most important points included in the handout for parents of diabetics.

Organization of proper nutrition

A well-organized menu of a child with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus contributes to the solution of the key task – the normalization of metabolism.

Food intake should be carried out at the same hours (diet – 6 meals a day). Breast milk in the first year of life is the best option for a sick baby. If artificial nutrition is needed, it should be selected by a doctor. 

These mixtures contain a minimum percentage of sugar. From 6 months, the child can eat soups, natural purees.

Older children can cook turkey, lamb, veal meat, as well as low-fat milk, cottage cheese, wheat bran bread. Vegetables, fruits should take priority in the diet.

“12817”] Smoked products, as well as marinades, spicy dishes, preserves, sugar are strictly contraindicated for children and adolescents.

The importance of drinking regimen

Drinking the right amount of fluids per day can help maintain the well-being of your diabetic child. Tap water (filtered), mineral water, unsweetened tea are best. 

A sugar substitute will help add flavor to the drink. Sugary drinks can be diluted with water to reduce the sugar concentration.

The older the child is, the more water he should drink. For example, a preschool child needs to consume at least 1.2 liters of water per day. The weight and mobility of the baby play an important role.

Necessary physical activity

Physical activity is essential for diabetic children. With its help, the absorption of glucose by active muscles increases up to 20 times. This increases the body’s ability to use insulin.

Depending on the age, the child can go in for swimming, cycling, rollerblading, dancing (without acrobatic, sharp elements).

Blood sugar control

Disease control consists in constant monitoring of blood sugar levels.

Maintaining an optimal value reduces the likelihood of symptoms of too low or, conversely, high glucose levels. This will avoid the problems associated with missing controls.

In a special diary, it is recommended to record the results obtained, as well as the foods consumed. Thanks to this information, the doctor will be able to choose the dose of insulin for a particular case.

Minimizing stress

As mentioned above, stress can be a key cause of diabetes. In a similar state, the child loses sleep, appetite.

At the same time, the general condition worsens. Because of this, blood sugar levels can rise at a rapid rate.

Parents need to carefully monitor the peace of mind of the baby. Bad relationships with family and friends always negatively affect health.

“12817”] Stressful situations must be excluded from the life of a diabetic child.

Preventive examinations by doctors

To maintain a stable condition, the child needs to undergo regular check-ups with a doctor.

Too dry skin, dark spots on the neck, between the toes, in the armpits can become the cause of panic . In this case, the child must pass a general analysis of urine and blood without fail.

In addition, a biochemical blood test is carried out, as well as a blood test for sugar (on an empty stomach and after eating), blood pressure is measured.

Is it possible to defeat the disease in childhood?

In children, in most cases, an insulin-dependent form of the disease develops.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to recover from such an ailment forever.

In this case, the cells in the pancreas do not produce enough insulin. Accordingly, it needs to be replenished by injection. If the parents know about the predisposition of the child’s body to the development of diabetes mellitus, the baby’s condition must be monitored.

In this case, it is highly likely to exclude or delay the development of the disease.