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Children are presenting with diabetes at an ever increasing rate and at younger and younger ages. Type 1 diabetes (juvenile onset diabetes, insulin dependent diabetes) is the most commonly encountered form of diabetes presenting in children, but type 2 diabetes(adult onset, non-insulin dependent) is now presenting in adolescence and childhood associated with the obesity epidemic and is prevalent in certain ethnic groups.
Type 1 diabetes requires the use of injected insulin from the time of diagnosis, but type 2 diabetes may initially be managed by weight loss, exercise and a table called metformin. Failing this other tablets may be required (sulphonylureas, thiazolidinediones) or even insulin by injection.
The treatment goals in diabetes are to keep blood sugar levels as close to normal to prevent the devastating short and long-term complication of diabetes.
Typical presenting signs and symptoms that should prompt further investigation include: increased frequency of urination, urinating at night or new onset bedwetting, excessive thirst, weight loss, blurred vision and tiredness. If early symptoms are missed, diabetic ketoacidosis may develop and has symptoms of rapid breathing, tummy pain, nausea and vomiting and even coma. The index of suspicion needs to remain high when any of the previous symptoms are present.
Children with diabetes should be referred to a centre that has a team that specializes in the treatment of children with diabetes because care is very different from adults with diabetes, this includes Paediatric endocrinologist, diabtetes educator as well as dietcian and child psychologist.
Listed below are paediatric specialist centres in
Pretoria- Dr Jacobus van Dyk Bloemfontein- Dr Chris Diffenthal Durban- Dr Kuben Pillay Cape Town- Red Cross Children’s Hospital
Support Groups Diabakids Sugarbabes Youth with Diabetes
Key words Insulin, insulin pump, Medtronic, Roche-Accucheck, Abbott, Lifescan, Bayer, NovoNordisk, Eli-Lilly, Sanofi-Aventis, Cipla-Medpro |
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Diabetes