NHS Diabetes
Press Release: Parents in England urged by NHS Diabetes and children’s diabetes specialists to be aware of symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children
Press Release
For immediate release 17 June 2011
Parents in England urged by NHS Diabetes and children’s diabetes specialists to be aware of symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children
As part of Diabetes Week, NHS Diabetes and a group of paediatric diabetes specialist are urging parents to be aware of the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children.
Type 1 diabetes can occur in any child at any age, even in babies and toddlers. Often the symptoms go unrecognised and the disease is only diagnosed when the child becomes critically ill with a potentially life threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children include:
•feeling very thirsty all the time
•passing urine very frequently and wetting the bed
•weight loss
•excessive, unexplained tiredness
•blurred vision
•sweet or fruity smelling breath.
NHS Diabetes is a national organisation supporting improvement in diabetes services and working to embed safe, evidence-based best practice across the diabetes community. Anna Morton, Director of NHS Diabetes, said: “All too often children are becoming seriously ill before they are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. That’s why we are working with the National Paediatric Diabetes Network to ensure that health care professionals are alert to the symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children. We also want to make sure that those children with the disease, no matter where they live in England, get access to the same high quality care.”
Clinical Lead for the National Paediatric Diabetes Network, Dr Fiona Campbell, Consultant Diabetologist and Clinical Director for Paediatric Medicine at Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust said: “Sadly we are seeing too many children admitted to hospital in diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. DKA is a life threatening condition, and tragically children do die as a result. But it is preventable. That’s why I am urging parents to be alert to the symptoms – excessive thirst, going to the toilet very frequently, weight loss and unexplained exhaustion – so they can ask for their children to be checked out quickly. A very simple test that takes a matter of seconds, and can be carried out at the GP surgery or out of hours centre can instantly tell us if a child is likely to have type 1 diabetes. It is very important that the test is not delayed until the following day if parents are suspicious that their child has these symptoms. The sooner we know, the sooner we can start appropriate treatment.”
Angela Allison’s daughter Claudia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2008 at the age of 7, after she became critically ill, despite having seen her GP. Angela has since set up a support group, Diabetes Power, to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes symptoms in children and improve diagnosis. Angela said: “Claudia became ill one week in the spring of 2008. She started to drink a lot and was going to the toilet much more than usual, she was also completely exhausted and losing weight. We took her to the GP who diagnosed a throat infection and gave us antibiotics. We also saw the health visitor at the surgery and told her about Claudia’s symptoms. I was sure that Claudia didn’t have a throat infection, so later that day, when the surgery was closed I went to a walk in centre at our local hospital. The GP there asked me about Claudia’s symptoms and sent me straight up to the paediatric ward. Claudia was too ill to walk by this point, so I had to carry her through the corridors. As soon as we arrived on the ward Claudia was taken to a room where, after being asked again about her symptoms, a finger prick test was taken. At that point the doctors said they were 99% sure Claudia had type 1 diabetes and was in diabetic ketoacidosis – a life threatening condition. She was admitted to the high dependency unit.
Angela continued: “Type 1 diabetes is five times more common than meningitis, and yet it feels like awareness of diabetes is much lower despite the fact it too is a life threatening illness. Nothing can stop the onset of type 1 diabetes, but better awareness of the symptoms among parents and health care professionals can prevent children becoming critically ill.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. NHS Diabetes is a national organisation supporting improvement in diabetes services. Its strategy is to embed safe, evidence-based best practice across the diabetes community. Further information about the work of NHS Diabetes is available at www.diabetes.nhs.uk.
2. For media enquiries contact Fraser Woodward on 07900 227 668, email fraser.woodward@dakc.nhs.uk
3. The National Paediatric Diabetes Network is a group of healthcare professionals from across England who specialise in children’s diabetes care. They work to improve the standard of care for children with diabetes.
4. Further information about the work of Diabetes Power is available at http://www.diabetespower.org.uk/ and a film of Angela telling her story is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NZxUR2dFLQ.
5. Diabetes Week is Diabetes UK’s (the charity for people with Diabetes) annual UK-wide awareness and fundraising week. This year Diabetes Week is 12–18 June 2011. More information is available at .http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Get_involved/Diabetes-Week/.
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Press Release: Parents in England urged by NHS Diabetes and children’s diabetes specialists to be aware of symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children
Press Release
For immediate release 17 June 2011
Parents in England urged by NHS Diabetes and children’s diabetes specialists to be aware of symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children
As part of Diabetes Week, NHS Diabetes and a group of paediatric diabetes specialist are urging parents to be aware of the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children.
Type 1 diabetes can occur in any child at any age, even in babies and toddlers. Often the symptoms go unrecognised and the disease is only diagnosed when the child becomes critically ill with a potentially life threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children include:
•feeling very thirsty all the time
•passing urine very frequently and wetting the bed
•weight loss
•excessive, unexplained tiredness
•blurred vision
•sweet or fruity smelling breath.
NHS Diabetes is a national organisation supporting improvement in diabetes services and working to embed safe, evidence-based best practice across the diabetes community. Anna Morton, Director of NHS Diabetes, said: “All too often children are becoming seriously ill before they are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. That’s why we are working with the National Paediatric Diabetes Network to ensure that health care professionals are alert to the symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children. We also want to make sure that those children with the disease, no matter where they live in England, get access to the same high quality care.”
Clinical Lead for the National Paediatric Diabetes Network, Dr Fiona Campbell, Consultant Diabetologist and Clinical Director for Paediatric Medicine at Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust said: “Sadly we are seeing too many children admitted to hospital in diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. DKA is a life threatening condition, and tragically children do die as a result. But it is preventable. That’s why I am urging parents to be alert to the symptoms – excessive thirst, going to the toilet very frequently, weight loss and unexplained exhaustion – so they can ask for their children to be checked out quickly. A very simple test that takes a matter of seconds, and can be carried out at the GP surgery or out of hours centre can instantly tell us if a child is likely to have type 1 diabetes. It is very important that the test is not delayed until the following day if parents are suspicious that their child has these symptoms. The sooner we know, the sooner we can start appropriate treatment.”
Angela Allison’s daughter Claudia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2008 at the age of 7, after she became critically ill, despite having seen her GP. Angela has since set up a support group, Diabetes Power, to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes symptoms in children and improve diagnosis. Angela said: “Claudia became ill one week in the spring of 2008. She started to drink a lot and was going to the toilet much more than usual, she was also completely exhausted and losing weight. We took her to the GP who diagnosed a throat infection and gave us antibiotics. We also saw the health visitor at the surgery and told her about Claudia’s symptoms. I was sure that Claudia didn’t have a throat infection, so later that day, when the surgery was closed I went to a walk in centre at our local hospital. The GP there asked me about Claudia’s symptoms and sent me straight up to the paediatric ward. Claudia was too ill to walk by this point, so I had to carry her through the corridors. As soon as we arrived on the ward Claudia was taken to a room where, after being asked again about her symptoms, a finger prick test was taken. At that point the doctors said they were 99% sure Claudia had type 1 diabetes and was in diabetic ketoacidosis – a life threatening condition. She was admitted to the high dependency unit.
Angela continued: “Type 1 diabetes is five times more common than meningitis, and yet it feels like awareness of diabetes is much lower despite the fact it too is a life threatening illness. Nothing can stop the onset of type 1 diabetes, but better awareness of the symptoms among parents and health care professionals can prevent children becoming critically ill.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. NHS Diabetes is a national organisation supporting improvement in diabetes services. Its strategy is to embed safe, evidence-based best practice across the diabetes community. Further information about the work of NHS Diabetes is available at www.diabetes.nhs.uk.
2. For media enquiries contact Fraser Woodward on 07900 227 668, email fraser.woodward@dakc.nhs.uk
3. The National Paediatric Diabetes Network is a group of healthcare professionals from across England who specialise in children’s diabetes care. They work to improve the standard of care for children with diabetes.
4. Further information about the work of Diabetes Power is available at http://www.diabetespower.org.uk/ and a film of Angela telling her story is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NZxUR2dFLQ.
5. Diabetes Week is Diabetes UK’s (the charity for people with Diabetes) annual UK-wide awareness and fundraising week. This year Diabetes Week is 12–18 June 2011. More information is available at .http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Get_involved/Diabetes-Week/.
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Children with diabetes should not be on a strict diet as adults. To be avoided being foods that are high glycemic index that depletes insulin. And conversely, should increase fiber foods. Do not eat foods that are low calorie so that the levels are too low blood sugar or hypoglycemia can cause fainting. This is dangerous.
ReplyDeleteType 1 diabetes cannot be avoided. However, type 2 diabetes can be avoided through lifestyle is good and right, ie restricting food and exercising regularly.
http://1st-in-diabetes.com/diabetes-symptoms-in-children
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