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The main cause of type 2 diabetes in children is being overweight or obese. The relationship between obesity and type 2 diabetes is even stronger in young people than in adults. Children who are overweight are likely to experience increased insulin resistance. Then the body will struggle to regulate insulin, while high blood sugar can cause a number of serious health problems. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over the past 30 years obesity in children has doubled and obesity in adolescents has quadrupled. Genetic factors can also play a role in increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes in children. If one parent or both parents have this diabetes, your child has the potential to have type 2 diabetes too.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes in children Symptoms of type 2 diabetes are not always easily recognized. In most cases, the disease develops gradually, which causes symptoms to be difficult to detect. About 40 percent of children who have type 2 diabetes do not show any signs or symptoms. However, some symptoms can be recognized, namely:
Tired easily If your child is often weak, tired, or sleepy without heavy physical activity, it could be a symptom of diabetes. Because, type 2 diabetes in children makes the body unable to process sugar into an energy source, only stored in the blood. As a result, children do not have enough energy to move. Excessive thirst It's easy to thirst when you drink enough water which may show symptoms of type 2 diabetes in children.
Frequent urination Excessive sugar levels in the bloodstream can absorb fluid from body tissues. This makes your child urinate more often. Plus, children become thirsty and drink more. Often feeling hungry Children with diabetes do not have enough insulin hormone to fuel their body's cells. So that makes children feel hungry more often.
Wounds that are difficult to heal Long or difficult healing of wounds that exist in children is one sign your child has type 2 diabetes. Darker skin If your child has type 2 diabetes, you may see some areas of your child's skin become dark, this is also called acanthosis nigricans. Insulin resistance can cause the skin to darken, such as the armpits and neck.
