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.



