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Author: Better Homes & Gardens
Until recently, Type 2 diabetes was known as "adult onset diabetes" because it occurred primarily in people older than 40 (Type 1 is the kind you are born with). Now, the incidence of Type 2 in children has increased as much as tenfold during the past 20 years, says Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Obesity Program at Children's Hospital in Boston.
"Type 2 can go undetected for months or even years, doing damage to your child's health all the while," says Dr. Philip Barnett, director of the Diabetes Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Long-term complications of diabetes include vascular disease, kidney disease, and damage to the eyes and the nerves. How can you spot the disease in its earliest stages? Pay attention to these signs.
A HEAVY CHILD. According to the American Diabetes Association, as many as 80 percent of children with Type 2 diabetes are overweight at the time of diagnosis. If your child is heavy, ask your doctor to check his fasting blood glucose levels, even if no other symptoms are present.
FATIGUE. In teens, sleepiness is common. But have him checked if it never seems to go away. In young children, persistent fatigue is never normal.