DOCTOR IS IN: Juvenile Diabetes doesn’t have to stop kids from being kids

BY ANDREW MUIR, M.D.

Pediatric Endocrinologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, division Director of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, and a Bernard Marcus professor at Emory University School of Medicine.

Counting carbohydrates, monitoring blood sugar and daily injections should not be part of a child’s normal routine, but unfortunately it’s a constant reality for youth with diabetes, commonly referred to as Juvenile Diabetes Type 1 diabetes.

Children with diabetes cannot use food for energy the usual way, either because they do not have insulin, or insulin does not do its job correctly in their bodies. Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas. When people have diabetes, either 1) their pancreas is not making insulin, or 2) their body cannot use the insulin it makes, preventing glucose (natural sugars found in food) to the body’s muscle and fat cells where it can be used for energy.

Juvenile Diabetes can pose serious health risks for youth, if not managed properly. Such risks include diseases within the eye, nerve and kidney.  To help prevent these adverse circumstances, parents or guardians should teach their children healthy habits early to maintain stable glucose levels. These habits include managing food intake, daily exercise, medicine and stress levels.

More than 23 million people in the United States, or 8 percent of the population, have some form of diabetes, including about one in every 300 to 500 children, according to the American Diabetes Association.

If your child has been diagnosed, it’s important to engage them in physical activities, school, sports and friends. It’s also helpful for them to learn more about noted figures in society that have openly discussed having diabetes such as Mary Tyler Moore, (actress), Nick Jonas (Jonas Brothers), Jay Cutler (NFL quarterback), Halle Berry (actress) and Nicole Johnson (Miss America). Moreover, it’s essential to involve other members in the family to adjust their routines and understand managing the serious health condition.

Although there isn’t a cure for Juvenile Diabetes, children with the disease have the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives, if the child understands how to manage the effects it may have on his or her body. Millions of people live successful, fulfilling lives with the disease. Click here to see the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) blogger roundtable series of discussion on this topic. In addition, JDRF has information about support groups around the country.

• (Information provided by Emory on this site is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other health provider for any questions you may have regarding your health and medical condition. If you rely on any information available through this website, you do so at your own risk. You understand that you are solely responsible for any damage or loss you may incur that results from your use of or reliance on any material or information provided by Emory through this website.)
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