Type-1 diabetes is an auto-immune disorder that causes a wide range of symptoms and complications. It can affect people of any age, including children. When children are affected by the condition, managing it effectively is critical as it can affect overall development of the child/person. In this article, we will cover all these and more.
Auto-immune disorders are those where the body’s immune system starts attacking an organ, gland or specific tissue in the body, treating it as a foreign body. This damages the organ/gland/tissue and hence affects its functioning. This attack happens automatically, or on its own, without any provocation (hence ‘auto’). There are various auto-immune disorders that affect human beings. One of them is Type-1 diabetes.
In this condition, the body starts attacking the islet cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. Due to the attack, the islet cells get damaged over time. In the process, the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin, which affects blood-sugar regulation in the person. As a result, the person must take supplementary insulin all of his/her life. While the condition cannot be treated completely, it can be managed well, which helps the person lead a fairly normal life.
Type-1 diabetes is seen most often in children; however, adults can also develop the condition. Like other auto-immune disorders, Type-1 diabetes does not have a specific cause, however there are some risk factors.
If type-1 diabetes is diagnosed late, or not managed well, sugar-levels in the body remain high all the time. Over time, this can damage many of the internal organs or tissues leading to various secondary ailments.
Since the condition cannot be completely cured, Treatment effectively refers to Managing of the condition so that blood-sugar levels remain healthy at all time. This will require:
The person should take insulin on a regular basis.
Types of Insulin
Types of Insulin Delivery mechanisms
The child’s blood-sugar must be tested frequently to ensure it stays within safe limits, as often as once in 4 hours. Typically, once before every meal and just before hitting bed. In rare cases, the doctor may even advise checking once in the night. There are 2 mechanisms for this:
A diabetologist working closely with a dietician will design the perfect diet plan for the child. This will factor the needs of the child, and ensure the right mix of carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals (through fresh fruits and vegetables).
Like everybody else, even children with Type-1 diabetes require regular physical activity. This can go up to 1 hour per day. Since exercise alters the blood-sugar levels and its effects last for a long time, the diet plan provided to the child will factor this point.
There can be various challenges in the life of a child with diabetes. Both parents/caregivers of the child and the child himself/herself must learn to cope with this over time, else life can be difficult for both. Fortunately, there is a whole lot of information, strategies, guidelines, tips & tricks available in both offline and online forums, created by thousands of such children and their family members, over time. The challenges come from the fact that blood-sugar levels can change randomly and this can affect various aspects of their overall health.
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