A SIMPLE check could reveal if your child is silently living with type 1 diabetes.
The condition causes people’s blood sugar levels to remain too high, which can lead to severe complications if left untreated.
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There are two main types of the disease: type 1, which not preventable, and type 2, which is mainly linked to weight gain and a lack of exercise.
More that 4.4 million people in the UK live with diabetes – but only eight per cent of those are living with type 1.
Type 1 diabetes appears to be rising, although experts are not quite sure why.
Even before the Covid pandemic, the rate of Type 1 in children was increasing globally, by around three per cent each year.
In 2020, though, this increase substantially to 14 per cent and, in 2021, to 27 per cent.
Scientists have suggested that the Covid-19 virus itself could have triggered the disease in some children.
Others have suggested that increased hygiene levels or less exposure to germs could be a cause.
Some scientists believe lockdowns and physical distancing during Covid meant many children did not get enough exposure to bugs and missed this additional protection.
Despite this worrying upward trend, experts have made huge strides in finding new treatments over the last few years.
This includes stem-cell transplants, which could cure the disease, an artificial pancreas to make the disease easier to manage, and repurposing old drugs, which could make better treatments.
It’s hard to ignore the signs of type 1 diabetes because symptoms can often appear quite quickly.
But leaving it untreated can lead to serious health problems, including diabetic ketoacidosis, which can result in a potentially fatal coma.
DO THE CHECK
This simple test can reveal if your child has the disease.
All it involves is knowing the four symptoms, also known as the ‘4Ts’:
- Toilet – going for a wee more often, especially at night.
- Thirsty – being constantly thirsty and not being able to quench it.
- Tired – being incredibly tired and having no energy.
- Thinner – losing weight without trying to, or looking thinner than usual
You can get diabetes type 1 at any age, but you’re most likely to be diagnosed when under 40.
It usually develops in children, teenagers and young adults.
If you or a family member is showing any of these symptoms, contact your GP surgery straight away.
The doctor or nurse will do some blood or urine tests.
If you notice symptoms in your child, ask the doctor or nurse for a quick and simple finger prick blood test – it only takes a few seconds.
The difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes
ALL types of diabetes cause blood glucose levels to be higher than normal, but the two different types do this in different ways.
The distinction lies in what is causing the lack of insulin – often described as the key, that allows glucose to unlock the door to the cells.
With type 1 diabetes, a person’s pancreas produces no insulin, but in type 2 cells in the body become resistant to insulin, so a greater amount of insulin is needed to keep blood glucose levels within a normal range.
However, doctors now think diabetes could be as many as five different diseases – and say that treatment should be tailored for the various forms.
The distinction lies in what is causing the lack of insulin – often described as the key, that allows glucose to unlock the door to the cells.
With type 1 diabetes, a person’s pancreas produces no insulin.
It’s far less common, affecting around 10 per cent of adults who have the disease.
This form of the disease typically occurs in childhood, or before the age of 40 and is not linked to obesity.
One well-known sufferer of type 1 diabetes is Prime Minister Theresa May.
It is treated with daily insulin injections or an insulin pump.
For people with type 2, cells in the body become resistant to insulin, so more insulin is needed to keep blood glucose levels within a normal range.
Typically, people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes from the age of 40, but there are some exceptions.
In people from southern Asia the disease can appear as early as 25.
And the condition is becoming more prevalent in children and teenagers of all ethnicities.
Experts suggest the rising rates of type 2 diabetes is due to the obesity epidemic – a key cause of type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes can be treated with drugs, and many people can reverse their condition by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Some type 2 diabetics will also need insulin, though it is less common.
Thousands of children and young adults under the age of 25 have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in England and Wales in recent years.
Doctors now think diabetes could be as many as five different diseases – and say that treatment should be tailored for the various forms.
