Striking Young
	It is the young who are increasingly getting hit by diabetes. With a check on diet, information about medication and management techniques, the disease can be controlled and complications averted. Detection of diabetes in your child can be quite a shock and a question that will come to your mind will be - why my child? There is no need to feel guilty about genes or for letting your child eat too many sweets. Researchers have disproved the myth that eating too much sugar can cause diabetes. Genes do play a role, but to what extent, is uncertain. Though Type 1 diabetes is more prevalent among children, an increasing number of kids are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes as it continues to plague children. Apart from medication (insulin therapy), the rest of the management modules are common for both types. Since the disease cannot be cured, it is important to manage it to avoid complications. Management of diabetes It basically involves four key pillars-insulin, diet, exercise and monitoring of blood glucose. Insulin : Children with Type 1 diabetes need insulin. The dosage, frequency and type of insulin will be customised by the physician, based on parameters like diet, physical activity and weight of the child. There are various types of insulin and insulin-delivery methods available in the market. All these details should be discussed with the physician who will decide the dosage based upon the need and maturity of the child. Diet : Keeping glucose levels from jumping too high or dipping too low is the primary objective of diabetes management. Diet is obviously the only factor that controls glucose intake. In addition, the diet plan should also have certain weight-control dimensions. Exercise : Exercise plays a dual role in diabetes. Apart from lowering the blood glucose levlel by increasing consumption, it also helps in improving the insulin sensitivity of cells. Blood glucose monitoring : Studies have proved that regular monitoring of blood glucose helps in reducing long-term complications like effect on vision, heart and kidney in a diabetric person. Diabetes in children The key objectives in the management of diabetes among children should cover. Hypoglycemia (low sugar levels in blood) : This can be because of too much insulin, low food intake or heavy or heavy physical exertion. The key symptoms are cold sweat, dizziness, palpitation, blurred vision, headache, proceeding onto slurred speech, erratic behaviour and coma. Management involves awareness of symptoms and treatment of low blood sugar by giving the children glucose (e.g. half a glass of orange juice, one to two tablespoons of honey) at intervals of 10 minutes to 15 minutes. The best way to avoid severe hypoglycemia is to detect it early. Sick days : Though diabetes per se will not make you child sick more often if it is controlled well, but special care is needed in case of sickness. Though the child might not be eating much, the requirement of insuling might increase. The child should take proper meals and plenty of water. Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) : DKA occurs when the body uses fat instead of carbohydrates for energy, thereby releasing ketones as a by-product. An excess of this can cause DKA. The key symptoms include excessive thirst and urination, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, deep and rapid breathing with fruity smell and confusion. Glucose and ketones levels will be positive in urine and blood will show high levels of glucose. In case of such symptoms, consult the doctor immediately. Long-term complications : Since diabetes is not curable and is a lifelong disease, it should be managed properly because uncontrolled or ill-managed diabetes can lead to chronic complications later on. In the long run, diabetes can impact almost every part of the body be it eyes, feet, hands or blood vessels. Manifestation of diabetes at a young age makes it all the more important to have a tight control on blood sugar levels. The best way to manage diabetes is by keeping a regular control on blood sugar levels. A good indicator for long-term control is HbA1c which should be targeted at around seven percent. On a day-to-day basis, blood glucose levels can be measured at home with help of blood glucose monitors like Accu-Chek Active. These monitors are freely available in the market and are easy to use. These can also help to decide the insulin dose, if medical help is not immediately available. Diabetes and schools : Diabetes care in school is an important aspect as balance between food, physical activity and insulin injections requires constant vigilance. Information and awareness about diabetes and its acute complications should be provided to school teachers to tackle emergencies. Currently, there is no cure for diabetes except for pancreas transplant. But the good thing about modern disease management is that it can be managed well and the patient can live a near normal life.