When most people think about childhood diabetes, type 1 diabetes comes to mind. Childhood diabetes causes many risks and complications no matter if it is type 1 or type 2.  And if type 1 diabetes comes to your mind first when thinking about childhood diabetes, it is for good reason. About 90 percent of diabetes in children under the age of 16 is type 1 diabetes. It is by far the most common in children.

Type 1 diabetes is a condition brought on by the pancreas’ inability to produce insulin. Type 1 childhood diabetes causes the body’s immune system to attack and destroy the insulin producing cells. The only realistic solution for type 1 diabetes is to inject or swallow insulin to replace what the pancreas doesn’t produce. The only upside to being diabetic as a child as opposed to developing it later in life is that children suffering from diabetes seem to live longer on average than people that develop diabetes as an adult. The reason behind this is thought to be that children get into a habit of controlling diabetes properly and carry the routine of a healthy diet, healthy lifestyle, and good testing and insulin control into adulthood. Adults developing diabetes sometimes never get in to the right routines.

Of course we are talking here about type 2 diabetes. It, too, can be developed in childhood and type 2 childhood diabetes causes are not completely understood. But they are similar to the risk factors for type 2 diabetes in adults. Type 2 diabetes in children is not common, but the causes are similar.

 

What Causes Childhood Diabetes?

 

The childhood diabetes causes and risks are basically as follows:

  • Being physically inactive
  • Eating an unhealthy diet
  • Overall sedentary lifestyle
  • Environmental factors

 

Today’s lifestyle that includes a lot of television, computer gaming and more indoor activities makes exposure to these risk factors more likely and is increasing the rate of type 2 childhood diabetes causes.

 

Knowing the Symptoms of Childhood Type 2 Diabetes Will Help You Get Treatment Sooner

 

If you can recognize the symptoms of type 2 diabetes in your children, you have a better chance of diagnosis and beginning treatment early to reduce the chances of complications and developing good habits that can last a lifetime, putting your child in the group of long-time diabetics that live a normal lifespan. And regardless of whether the symptoms are present or not, any parent should encourage and help their children to avoid the lifestyle choices that are among the childhood diabetes causes. Some symptoms of childhood diabetes type 2 are:

  • Increased thirst and noticeably frequent urination
  • Extreme hunger
  • Unusual Irritability for your child
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Increased frequency of infections
  • Slow healing of wounds and bruises
  • Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet
  • Constant fatigue
  • Frequent Headaches
  • Upset or painful stomach