Diabeties Basics
Type 1 Diabetes? [A simplified explanation]
Most children with diabetes have type 1, thus the name, “juvenile diabetes.” A healthy pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that the body uses to change food/glucose in the blood into energy. A person with type 1 diabetes is not able to produce any insulin. Without insulin, the glucose builds up in the blood (high blood sugar or hyperglycemia). Blood sugar levels that are too high and untreated for long periods of time can lead to ketoacidosis, a very serious condition. Eventually, if blood sugar levels are very high and are not brought down, coma and death can result.
In a person with a healthy pancreas, a “perfect balance” between food/glucose intake and insulin is maintained. When a person eats, the pancreas puts out the exact amount of insulin necessary to turn that amount of food/glucose into energy. If the person eats a lot of food/glucose, the pancreas puts out a lot of insulin. If the person eats just a little food/glucose, the pancreas puts out just a little insulin.
Since the person with type 1 diabetes is not capable of producing his/her own insulin, insulin must be put into the blood stream through shots/injections or through an insulin pump. If too much insulin is injected (or too little food is eaten), low blood sugar or hypoglycemia occurs. Hypoglycemia is the most common problem in children with diabetes. It can be very serious and requires immediate action. This is where the greatest problem lies in managing type1 diabetes; how much insulin to inject? In a simple and perfect world, there would be an easy answer to this question (e.g. always eat a certain amount of food and inject a certain amount of insulin). However, this is not a simple and perfect world and there is no way to know how much insulin to inject with 100% accuracy. Many factors influence how much insulin is needed to get to the desired “perfect balance” of glucose and insulin. These factors include foods with different absorption rates as well as the effects of stress, illness, and exercise on the effectiveness of insulin. In addition, as a child grows, insulin needs change. Because determining how much insulin the body needs to “balance” the amount of food/glucose to inject is really a best guess, sometimes the guess is inaccurate and high or low blood sugar results.
Diabetes is not contagious. You cannot catch diabetes from someone who has it. Researchers continue to study how and why diabetes occurs in certain children and families. Although diabetes cannot be cured, it can be controlled. Research has shown that maintaining good control of blood glucose (sugar) levels can prevent long-term complications of diabetes. Insulin is NOT a cure for diabetes.
What is Type 2 Diabetes? [A simplified explanation]
A person with type 2 diabetes has a pancreas that makes some insulin, but the insulin is either insufficient in quantity or ineffective in its ability to stabilize blood sugar levels. Type 2’s can sometimes manage their disease with diet and exercise. Some individuals with type 2 can take an oral medication that improves the effectiveness of the insulin, while other type 2’s need to inject additional insulin.
Most school age children with diabetes have type 1. Unfortunately, however, as more and more of our nation’s children become overweight and sedentary, type 2 diabetes is occurring more frequently in school age children.
Most children with diabetes have type 1, thus the name, “juvenile diabetes.” A healthy pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that the body uses to change food/glucose in the blood into energy. A person with type 1 diabetes is not able to produce any insulin. Without insulin, the glucose builds up in the blood (high blood sugar or hyperglycemia). Blood sugar levels that are too high and untreated for long periods of time can lead to ketoacidosis, a very serious condition. Eventually, if blood sugar levels are very high and are not brought down, coma and death can result.
In a person with a healthy pancreas, a “perfect balance” between food/glucose intake and insulin is maintained. When a person eats, the pancreas puts out the exact amount of insulin necessary to turn that amount of food/glucose into energy. If the person eats a lot of food/glucose, the pancreas puts out a lot of insulin. If the person eats just a little food/glucose, the pancreas puts out just a little insulin.
Since the person with type 1 diabetes is not capable of producing his/her own insulin, insulin must be put into the blood stream through shots/injections or through an insulin pump. If too much insulin is injected (or too little food is eaten), low blood sugar or hypoglycemia occurs. Hypoglycemia is the most common problem in children with diabetes. It can be very serious and requires immediate action. This is where the greatest problem lies in managing type1 diabetes; how much insulin to inject? In a simple and perfect world, there would be an easy answer to this question (e.g. always eat a certain amount of food and inject a certain amount of insulin). However, this is not a simple and perfect world and there is no way to know how much insulin to inject with 100% accuracy. Many factors influence how much insulin is needed to get to the desired “perfect balance” of glucose and insulin. These factors include foods with different absorption rates as well as the effects of stress, illness, and exercise on the effectiveness of insulin. In addition, as a child grows, insulin needs change. Because determining how much insulin the body needs to “balance” the amount of food/glucose to inject is really a best guess, sometimes the guess is inaccurate and high or low blood sugar results.
Diabetes is not contagious. You cannot catch diabetes from someone who has it. Researchers continue to study how and why diabetes occurs in certain children and families. Although diabetes cannot be cured, it can be controlled. Research has shown that maintaining good control of blood glucose (sugar) levels can prevent long-term complications of diabetes. Insulin is NOT a cure for diabetes.
What is Type 2 Diabetes? [A simplified explanation]
A person with type 2 diabetes has a pancreas that makes some insulin, but the insulin is either insufficient in quantity or ineffective in its ability to stabilize blood sugar levels. Type 2’s can sometimes manage their disease with diet and exercise. Some individuals with type 2 can take an oral medication that improves the effectiveness of the insulin, while other type 2’s need to inject additional insulin.
Most school age children with diabetes have type 1. Unfortunately, however, as more and more of our nation’s children become overweight and sedentary, type 2 diabetes is occurring more frequently in school age children.
