Psychological and emotional stress
among mothers may trickle down to their kids and increase their children’s risk
of having diabetes. Mothers who experienced a stressful event such as divorce,
domestic violence, mental tension and work pressure have an increased risk of
developing diabetes. Parents who are often stressed out or are having problems
is the number one stressor among children. Without the parent’s knowledge,
children may get stressed, raising level of cortisol-also called the “stress
hormone”.
Cortisol is found adjacent to the
kidneys and is released in response to either physical or psychological stress.
It breaks down muscle protein into its component amino acid which then
circulates the bloodstream. These amino acids are used by the liver in the
manufacture of glucose for energy increasing blood sugar level and at the same
time lowering the use of glucose as fuel. The excess and deficiency of cortisol
in the body may trigger some system disorders such as autoimmunity damaging the
insulin-producing beta cells thus resulting in insulin deficiency.
Children with diabetes who
experience frequent episode of severe low blood sugar or hypoglycemia
particularly at an early age may have reduced long-term memory performance than
diabetic children who experience severe hypoglycemia at a later age. A diabetic
children’s spatial memory performance may be greatly affected by episodes of
extreme low blood sugar. Hypoglycemia is an abnormally low level of glucose in
the blood or low blood sugar.
Anti-diabetic medicines that are
taken orally by the mouth are effective as insulin injection in controlling
symptoms of diabetes. The number of people with diabetes continues to rise
while their ages at the time of diagnosis drop. Type 2 diabetes, which used to
be called adult - onset diabetes, is now striking children, due largely to the
obesity epidemic. Overweight and obese kids that present identifying symptoms
like darkness around neck and armpits area are those who frequently get urinary
tract infection (UTI).
Diabetes if not properly managed can
lead to many complications such as amputation and damage to key organs of the
body like the eyes, kidney and the heart. It takes every ounce of restraints
and discipline on the part of the patient to be able to follow the rigid diet
and medication regimen required for the management of disease.
Having
diabetes requires careful examination of ones sugar level. Besides watching for
sign of high blood sugar, they also have to be aware of warning signs of blood
sugar or hypoglycemia. Using blood glucose meter, a person who has diabetes can
tell his/her sugar level is low. Normal fasting blood sugar is 70 to 100 mg/dl.