Juvenile diabetes is also called type 1 diabetes, childhood diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Type 1 diabetes is typified by persistent high blood sugar. It is caused by a lack or decreased production of insulin. The disease requires constant monitoring of blood sugar levels and insulin injections. Physiologically, juvenile diabetes is caused by an autoimmune disease that causes damage of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. It may be contracted through infection, environmental exposure, or stress along with a genetic tendency to the disease. The disease can develop very rapidly with excessive urination and thirst being the first symptoms. There may be changes in appetite, extreme fatigue, weight loss, changes in vision, quick deep breathing, and the odor of acetone on the breath. Behavioral changes may also be evident, including altered state of aggression, consciousness, mania and the most severe form of diabetic coma.

Treatments for Juvenile Diabetes

The treatment of juvenile diabetes starts with its proper diagnosis. It is often recommended that people who are at risk for the syndrome, such as those who parents or siblings are diabetic, undergo early screening. When a diagnosis is made, it is important to follow the doctor’s instructions on medication and eating in order to ensure that the blood sugar level neither falls too low nor surge too high. Eating healthy and well-balanced meals is very significant not only for weight management but also to control glucose levels in the blood stream. Fruits and vegetables, dairy products, whole grains, and proteins such as fish, meat, dried beans, eggs, nuts and poultry must be included in the diet. Exercise is also significant as it helps keep the weight off and allows the insulin to work more efficiency.

Diet

Diet, along with insulin, is used to treat diabetes. It means eating well-balanced, healthy foods and not going overboard with sweets. Dietitians and physicians figure out how much carbohydrate a child with diabetes needs at snacks and meals and they decide how much insulin he or she needs to take. Balancing the right amount of insulin with the food intake will help to keep blood sugar at a healthy level.Meal planning for a juvenile diabetic needs consistency for insulin and food to work to regulate blood glucose levels. If insulin and meals are out of balance, extreme fluctuations in blood glucose levels can occur.

Physical Activity

Regular exercise is especially significant for a diabetic. It helps to manage the amount of sugar in the blood and helps to burn excess fat and calories to achieve optimal weight. A juvenile diabetic, however, must take special precautions during, before and after participation in intense exercise or physical activity. While physical activity is good for everyone , including a child with this disease, extra care must be exercised in this case. The patient’s glucose levels must not be allowed to fall below normal ranges.

Insulin

Insulin lowers blood glucose by taking it from the blood stream, converting it to glycogen and storing it in the liver or muscles. The bodies of juvenile diabetics cannot make insulin on their own so they are required to take insulin everyday.

Insulin is injected subcutaneously, or beneath the skin, using a syringe or an infusion pump. It is not accessible in oral form. Insulin preparations vary in how fast they start to work and how long they last. A health care professional reviews blood glucose levels to determine the appropriate type of insulin that a person should use. More than one type of insulin can be mixed together in an injection to get the best control of the blood glucose.

The instant goals of the treatment are to treat high blood glucose levels and DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). Because of the often unexpected onset and severity of symptoms in juvenile diabetes, treatment for recently diagnosed people may involve hospitalization. The long-term goals of treatment aim towards prolonging life, reducing symptoms and preventing diabetes-related complications like kidney failure, blindness and amputation of limbs.

Diagnosing Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile diabetes is usually first diagnosed in children, young adults or teenagers. Different test are used to diagnose juvenile diabetes such as urine sugar test, fasting plasma glucose test and random plasma glucose test.

Urine sugar test – Urine holds different substances and this helps in the diagnosis of different kinds of diseases. Urinalysis in diabetes shows ketone and glucose in the urine. In urinalysis, the urine is tested for its substance composition including sugar. High levels of sugar in the urine indicates that the person has diabetes.

Fasting plasma glucose – This type of test is widely used to measure blood glucose level after 8 hours have passed without eating. Blood is drawn from the patient which is then subject to technological testing. It is the preferred test as it is more suitable and more consistent when it is done in the morning. Pre-diabetes can also identified by this test. If the fasting blood glucose level is 126mg/dl or higher, the patient has juvenile diabetes.

Random plasma glucose test – This test is similar to the fasting plasma glucose test but without the fasting. The random glucose test along with a variety of symptoms is used to diagnose diabetes but it cannot be used to diagnoses pre-diabetes.

Symptoms of Juvenile Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition wherein the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert starches, sugar and other food into energy needed for every day life. The causes of diabetes are various but both environmental and genetic factors like obesity and lack of exercise are considered contributory. The symptoms of juvenile diabetes are listed below:

• Atypical thirst, particularly for sweet cold drinks
• Frequent urination
• Extreme hunger
• Extreme fatigue
• Weight loss
• Irritabilite
• Blurred vision or other changes in eyesight
• Weakness
• Vomiting and nausea

Children with juvenile diabetes may also be apathetic, restless and may have trouble functioning in school. In several cases, diabetic coma may be the first symptom of juvenile diabetes.

Parents of a child with classic symptoms of diabetes may notice that their daughter or son is abnormally thirsty, needs to urinate frequently and has been losing weight in spite of a good appetite. However, this is only one possible set of symptoms. Sometimes around 25 percent of the children have already progressed to diabetic ketoacidosis by the time they first see the physician or doctor. Because these children may be nauseated and vomit, complain of abdominal pain, their symptoms might be mistaken for an appendicitis or flu. In most severe cases, the child breathes deeply and rapidly, has a fruity smell in his breath and may lose consciousness.

Lacking adequate insulin, glucose can build up in the bloodstream instead of going into the cells. The body is unable to use this glucose for energy despite high levels in the bloodstream, causing the patient to feel fatigued and hungry.

In addition to this, the high levels of glucose in the blood cause the patient to urinate more which causes excessive thirst. Often, within 6 to 10 years after diagnosis, the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas are destroyed and no more insulin is produced.

Juvenile diabetes can occur at any age but usually starts from childhood. Symptoms are typically severe and occur rapidly.

Diet for Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile diabetes meal plan can include an assortment of food items. Once the patient gets into the habit of eating less carbohydrate and fat and smaller portions of an assortment of foods, he or she can keep juvenile diabetes under control. Apart from limiting foods, the patient must also aim towards eating more vegetables and fruits.

Some healthy tips and meal plans for juvenile diabetic include the following:

• Vegetable tend to loose their nutrients if cooked too long them. Microwave or steam vegetables instead.
• Patients should eat butter ice cream and whole milk cheese occasionally.
• It is always better to avoid high-fat red meat.
• Chicken skin must be removed before cooking.
• Use of sugar should be minimized. Use artificial sweeteners instead.
• Limit salt to the minimum. This is mostly significant for people with juvenile diabetes because it can affect the circulatory system.
• Animal protein must be avoided. Instead, meals high in complex carbohydrates must be taken such as starches found in  pastas, rice, legumes, starchy vegetables, cereals and breads.
• A typical juvenile diabetes diet must include breads, whole-grain cereals and other products like brown rice, bulgur, kasha and barley.
• Decrease the amount of protein and salt and limit dietary cholesterol.

In fact, a balanced meal plan for a juvenile diabetic should include protein that provides 10 percent to 20 percent of the total calories, fat not more than 30 percent and carbohydrates more than 60 percent. The primary goal of any dietary plan for diabetes is to sustain healthy levels of glucose in the blood. Therefore, foods rich in simple sugars, cookies, sugary snacks and non-diet sodas should be avoided. A healthful, varied diet, rich in whole grains, vegetables and fruits is a great way to ensure overall health of a juvenile diabetic.