In the United States, around 210,000 children and adolescents under the age of 20 have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020Trusted Source.
In young people, type 2 diabetes is less prevalent than type 1 diabetes. According to the statistics report, throughout 2014 and 2015, doctors in the United States identified type 2 diabetes in around 5,758 children and teenagers aged 10 to 19.
Along with rising obesity rates, type 2 diabetes in youngsters is becoming more prevalent.
If type 2 diabetes is not treated, it can have major side effects and be a lifetime condition.
However, the illness can go into long-term remission with dietary restrictions, lifestyle changes, and blood sugar-regulating medications.
In this article, we examine how type 2 diabetes affects kids.
Symptoms
Often, type 2 diabetes develops slowly and gradually. As a result, symptoms can be hard to spot, and some kids may even show no symptoms at all.
According to statistics from a reliable source, 7.3 million of the 34.2 million Americans who have diabetes may not have received a formal diagnosis.
Adults, teenagers, and younger children all exhibit the same symptoms. The following signs and symptoms could be present in kids with type 2 diabetes:
Increased urination: Children with type 2 diabetes may urinate more frequently than they did prior to the onset of the condition. If there is too much sugar in the blood, the body excretes some of it in the urine along with too much water.
Increased thirst: Type 2 diabetic kids may begin to show signs of being thirstier than usual. This is because increased urination may lead to dehydration, which in turn may increase thirst.
Exhaustion: A youngster may experience fatigue when their body is unable to use blood sugar properly. Persistent feelings of exhaustion might also be brought on by the physical and emotional pain of dealing with diabetes’ more serious side effects.
High blood sugar levels can drain fluid from the eye lenses, causing
blurry vision high blood sugar levels might dry up the eye lenses and make it difficult to focus.
Darkened skin: Acanthosis nigricans, a skin disorder that can result in patches of skin darkening, may be brought on by insulin resistance. The back of the neck and the armpits are frequently affected.
Slow wound healing: Sores and skin infections may take longer to heal when blood sugar levels are high.
Causes
Diabetes is characterized by issues with glucose, or blood sugar, regulation. Typically, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin to assist a person in maintaining blood sugar control.
Blood glucose can enter cells with the help of insulin, leaving the bloodstream and lowering a person’s blood sugar level.
A person with type 2 diabetes, whether they are a kid or an adult, either has insufficient insulin production or develops insulin resistance, which causes the cells to become less responsive to the hormone’s effects.
Anyone, even children, can develop type 2 diabetes. Overweight or obese individuals are more likely to develop the illness.
