Teens and Diabetes Mellitus
What is diabetes mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder where the body does not make enough insulin
or respond normally to insulin. This causes blood sugar (glucose) levels to become
abnormally high. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body. Insulin is a hormone
needed by the body to turn glucose into energy. In diabetes, the pancreas does not
make enough insulin. Or the body does not use insulin well. With diabetes, too much
glucose stays in the blood. It doesn’t get used by the body. Diabetes may be caused
by other health conditions. These include genetic syndromes, chemicals, medicines,
poor nutrition, infections, viruses, or other illnesses.
There are 3 types of diabetes mellitus:
These are all metabolic disorders that affect the way the body uses digested food
to make glucose.
What is prediabetes?
In prediabetes, blood glucose levels are higher than normal. But they are not high
enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. If no steps are taken to change this, many people
with prediabetes could develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years. Prediabetes raises
the risk for heart disease and stroke. But with healthy food choices, modest weight
loss, and moderate physical activity, people with prediabetes may be able to delay
or prevent type 2 diabetes.
Teens and diabetes
The American Diabetes Association notes that about 283,000 people in the U.S. under
age 20 have diabetes. Most of them have type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes used to occur
mostly in adults ages 45 and older. But now it is more common in younger people. This
is from rising rates of obesity in children and teens.
The teen years can be a challenge for any child as they go through sexual and emotional
changes. It can be more of a challenge for teens with diabetes. Teens want to fit
in. Being different in any way from their peers can be stressful.
A teen who used to follow their diabetes management plan may now refuse to do so.
A teen may feel in denial of the disease. They may have aggressive behavior around
managing diabetes. For example, some teens will skip insulin injections to lose weight.
One aspect of diabetes management is blood sugar control. This is especially hard
during the teen years. Researchers believe the growth hormone made during teen years
that causes bone and muscle growth may also act as an anti-insulin agent. Blood sugar
levels become harder to control. This results in levels that swing from too low to
too high. This lack of control over blood sugar levels can be very stressful for your
teen.
Helping your teen cope
Open communication is vital between you and your teen with diabetes. Your teen wants
to be treated as an adult. And that means letting them take charge of their own diabetes
management plan. Teens looking forward to going away to college in a few years need
to learn how to manage their diabetes themselves. These days, this means using apps
and other ways of keeping track of their blood sugar on a continuous basis. They can
do it, with help and encouragement from their families and healthcare providers. Parents
should know that teens need:
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Some freedom. The teen years are a time of wanting to be spontaneous, such as stopping for pizza
after school. But a teen with diabetes needs to know that managing diabetes well can
actually help with this. It will help give your teen the flexibility they crave.
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Some control. Teens want to be in charge of their own lives. They want to create their own identities.
To achieve this control, the teens will test limits. But a teen with diabetes can
learn that having control over their diabetes also means having control over other
parts of life.
Make sure the healthcare provider talks to your teen about their diabetes, not just
you. If your teen trusts the provider, they are more likely to ask important questions
that directly affect diabetes management. These include questions about alcohol use,
smoking, and illegal drugs.