The ninth leading cause of death in 2019, diabetes is a major reason behind blindness, heart attacks, kidney failures, strokes, and lower-limb amputations, reports the World Health Organisation (WHO). Unfortunately, around 1.1 million children and adolescents in the world are living with Type 1 diabetes, as per the International Diabetes Federation. The number is increasing every year, with more than 132,000 children each year being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Therefore, it becomes extremely crucial to keep an eye on the symptoms that might result in diabetes.
We have put together a few subtle diabetes symptoms in kids that most people tend to overlook:
Slow-healing wounds
Physically active children tend to get hurt often. If they come home with a wound that is taking more than the normal time to heal, then it could be a sign of diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes. Factors like diabetic neuropathy, high blood sugar, and decreased circulation can be blamed.
Weight fluctuation
Adolescence is a phase of life when you will witness the fluctuation in your child’s weight, and you might think that it is because of his changing habits. But significant weight loss is very common before a diabetes diagnosis and it is one of the potential symptoms.
Tingling
Diabetic neuropathy can be caused by high blood sugar and is a form of nerve damage. And therefore, it can be felt in many forms, for instance, feeling like a needle jabbing in your hands or feet.
Dizziness
It might seem like your child is being naughty when he or she often feels dizzy and has trouble sleeping, but this is actually one of the most common signs of diabetes.
Changes in urinary frequency
The increasing number of urine discharges is usually related to the increased amount of water intake. But one of the reasons behind this could be that increased thirst can be diabetes, which will eventually lead to several bathroom visits throughout the day.
