There are two types of diabetes. Type 1, often called “juvenile diabetes,” is diagnosed in childhood, and is the most common form of diabetes that children develop. Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, is diagnosed in adulthood.
Not all children who are diagnosed with diabetes actually have juvenile diabetes, however. In recent years, there have been children diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes as well.
What is behind this shift? Researchers suggest that lifestyle choices play crucial roles in whether or not a person will develop Type 2 diabetes. While lifestyle choices alone may not be sufficient to cause the disease, they do make its development more likely.
It is important to point out that this does not mean that all overweight children, or all children who have poor diets, are going to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It does mean, however, that compared with kids who are of a healthy weight and who have healthy diets, their chances of receiving this diagnosis are increased.
Symptoms of or factors associated with Type 2 diabetes in children with this diagnosis include:
Childhood obesity, or a child who is over what is considered to be a healthy weight, will have a greater chance of being diagnosed with this form of diabetes. Another major risk factor is having members of the immediate family who have also been diagnosed with the condition, usually a parent.
Other symptoms, like constant thirst and a frequent need to urinate, are common to both types of diabetes. Feeling very lethargic, or tired all of the time, is also commonly reported as a symptom.
It can be hard to determine whether diabetes in children is Type 1 or Type 2, because of these shared symptoms. Other children will have none of the typical signs of either type, making diagnosis very difficult. It helps to bring children to regular checkups with a physician who is aware of family medical history.
Doctors may choose to run tests even if no symptoms are present, if there are other members of a family who have either type of diabetes.
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