For this weeks topic Im choosing to go back to Chapter 11 and discuss diabetes in

children. Diabetes is a common chronic disease in children and adolescents. There

are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease; the
bodys immune system destroys insulin producing cells. In type 2 diabetes the body
produces insulin but the bodys cells may not be able to use the insulin or the
insulin may be insufficient. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes.
The risk factors of type 2 diabetes include being overweight, physically inactive,
having a family history, or belonging to a certain ethnic group. The ethnic groups
that are at risk include Native American, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian
Americans (Santrock, 2013, p.334).
I found an article that discussed type 2 diabetes. The risk factors in this
article were the same as the textbook stated. It did mention that type 2 diabetes is
more common in girls. It also states that diagnosis is often delayed and the child
often has symptoms of chronic complications for a longer period before confirmation
of type 2 diabetes. The symptoms are extreme thirst and frequent urination. Type
2 diabetes symptoms take longer to appear verses type 1 diabetes. To identify and
confirm the presence of type 2 diabetes a screening tests are preformed, these are
oral glucose tolerance test and a 2 hour plasma glucose assessment. Treatment for
this disease is lifestyle changes which include weight loss with diet and exercise,
and medication if needed. These children are at risk for developing other medical
complications such as cardiovascular disease- which is because of the increased
blood glucose levels (Wilson, V. (2013).
Another article that I found from 2005 states the need for a public health
intervention to address the increasing number of American children living with
diabetes in this year. They conclude the raising rate of diabetes and obesity are
from the changes in our world and society. These changes affected the structure of
our families, neighborhoods, schools, agricultural production and technology. These
examples of social changes promoted eating a greater amount of food, eating this
way more often, and in more places. The article states the promotion of inactivity is
also a factor. They name the food industry as a major contributor to the obesity and
diabetes epidemic. They state the competiveness between food producers
increases the changes as well. Diabetes in 2005 at the time of this article was the
6th leading cause of death nationally. New York City had a slightly higher rate due to
the fact of its larger population of American Americans and Hispanic residents
(Nestle, M. (2005).
The most informative article that I found on diabetes in my research was one
specifically about type 1 diabetes; the autoimmune type. The article is centered on
Sarah, a 3 year old girl from England living with this disease. She had experienced
a rash at 13 months, but the rash disappeared after 12 hours. Her mother was
concerned as she had been exposed to chicken pox recently and she was also
having stomach aches with vomiting. During her visit to a clinic she lists her
symptoms, and states that she feels that Sarah hadnt been gaining weight but
connected that to that her newly acquired skill of walking. Other symptoms were
glassy unfocused eyes and wetting through her diapers frequently. During this visit
she was diagnosed with a stomach virus. Her parents went to a new clinic the next

day after these symptoms did not go away. While there, they discovered through
glucose testing that her blood levels were high as well as her ketones. She was
finally diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and hospitalized for 4 days. She was
prescribed insulin injections 4 times a day and blood glucose testing throughout the
day by finger prick to identify the level of control and how much insulin needed for
her injections. As toddlers are prone to illnesses like tonsillitis and ear infections,
these illnesses are especially dangerous for children with diabetes as their insulin
and ketone rate increases. This adds another layer of worry for the family. Her
mother states she finds it difficult to find knowledgeable staff prepared to care for
her daughter during medical emergencies. Most health professionals have a basic
knowledge of type 1 diabetes and insulin use but arent extremely knowledgeable.
Sarah needs constant monitoring (24 hour care) as her levels can drop too low or
skyrocket too high even during the night. This round the clock care takes
adjustment, and effects the whole family. It puts stress on the family relationship.
Her mom used to work full time but dropped down to part time due to her care,
which reduced the family income. Socially the parents stick close to home and do
not partake in alcohol due to the chance of an emergency for Sarah as they would
need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible. Sarahs mom is her full time
caretaker but has help from her dad and siblings. The siblings have learned to care
for her as adeptly as any medical provider because of the day to day experience.
Both parents had to learn how best to care for Sarah through trial and error, they
state her care has been reactive rather than proactive. They also state that
managing type 1 diabetes is not as structured as type 2 (Bostock-Cox, B. (2014).
This article clarifies the difficulty for the families and especially the child living with
diabetes type 1. Sarah receives insulin injections via a needle and skin pokes also
via needle for her blood glucose up to 12 times daily. So difficult and heartbreaking.
I really enjoyed this article as it gave a firsthand example of living with a toddler
that has been diagnosed with a lifelong autoimmune disease that has to be
constantly monitored. Her mom has become a specialist in type 1 diabetes care to
be able to give her daughter the utmost care.
I am not personally connected to anyone with any type of diabetes. I have
experienced autoimmune disorders in my family as my father has rheumatoid
arthritis, my son and daughter have Hoshimotos Thyroiditis, and my great
grandfather had pernicious anemia. The instances of these diseases in my family
increases the chance of my other family members to have an autoimmune disorder
in the future. The article about little Sarah states she too had a family history on
her mothers side of autoimmune disorders, which can linked to her diagnosis of
type 1 diabetes. I find topics like these very interesting as Im learning something
new about the struggles of everyday life for a chronic illness. Lifestyle changes are
hard to achieve, but vital to the health of the individual.
References:
Wilson, V. (2013). TYPE 2 DIABETES: AN EPIDEMIC IN CHILDREN. Nursing Children &
Young People, 25(2), 14-17. Retrieved on May 2, 2015 from:
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy.canton.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
sid=eba001c2-d4a6-46e3-a4ba-f5d762f4addf%40sessionmgr113&vid=2&hid=117

Santrock, J. (2013). Children (12th ed., pp. 334). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Bostock-Cox, B. (2014). Type 1 diabetes in children Sarah's story. Practice Nurse,
44(4), 18-23. Retrieved on May 2, 2015 from:
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy.canton.edu/eds/detail/detail?sid=db9ee42d823c441590e6854566b92c54%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=117&bdata=JnNpdG
U9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2012559596
Nestle, M. (2005). Preventing Childhood Diabetes: The Need for Public Health
Intervention. American Journal Of Public Health, 95(9), 1497-1499. Retrieved on May
2, 2015 from: http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy.canton.edu/eds/detail/detail?
sid=d831345e-eac0-4f17-bb56-246507cea6eb
%40sessionmgr198&vid=5&hid=117&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9
c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=s3h&AN=18105098