Understanding Type 1 Diabetes

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Children with type 1 diabetes will usually have the symptoms listed above. If your child is potty-trained without issues at night starts having accidents and wetting the bed again, diabetes might be the reason.

Even though it’s easy to diagnose a child with diabetes by checking their blood glucose at the doctor’s office or emergency room, the tricky part is recognizing the symptoms and knowing to take your child to get checked. If you’re a parent, it’s important to know that young children, including infants, can develop type 1 diabetes.

Sometimes children can be in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) when they are diagnosed with diabetes. When there is a lack of insulin in the body, high levels of an acid called ketones can build up. DKA is a medical emergency that usually requires hospitalization and immediate care with insulin and IV fluids.

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When an adult develops type 1 diabetes, they are often mistakenly told they have type 2 diabetes. This may be from lack of awareness that type 1 diabetes can start at any age and in people of every race, shape, weight, and size. People with type 1 diabetes who also have the classic risk factors for type 2 diabetes—such as overweight/obesity, not being physically active, having high blood pressure, or are over age 35—are often misdiagnosed. It can also be tricky because some adults with new-onset type 1 diabetes are not sick at first. Their health care provider may find an elevated blood glucose level at a routine visit and starts them on diet, exercise, and an oral medication.

Early detection and treatment of diabetes can decrease the risk of developing complications both at the time of diagnosis and in the future. By knowing and recognizing the symptoms above, you can learn if you have type 1 diabetes early and avoid complications, like diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). 

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Did you know?

• Type 1 diabetes doesn’t develop only in children
• There have been recent advances in type 1 diabetes screening and treatment

If you have a family history of type 1 diabetes, your health care provider may suggest screening for type 1 diabetes. They will order a blood test to measure your islet autoantibodies. The test results can go one of two ways:

1. Negative: Your health care provider will retest you in the future.
2. Positive: Even if you get a positive result, this doesn’t mean you have type 1 diabetes. Your health care provider will refer you to counseling about the risk of developing diabetes, diabetes symptoms, and DKA prevention. Additional testing as needed may be done to determine the course of your treatment.  

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Even if you may not want to know if you, your children, or other family members are at risk for developing type 1 diabetes, there are benefits to knowing.

First, you can learn more about the early warning signs of type 1 diabetes so you and your health care team can detect diabetes early—before DKA or severe illness develops. Because DKA can be life-threatening and early symptoms can be vague, knowing what to watch out for can help detect and treat DKA early or prevent it altogether.

Second, there are emerging treatments and clinical trials that seek to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes in those who are at high risk. If you are at high risk for developing type 1 diabetes, it will be important to speak with an endocrinologist to learn whether these opportunities may be available and right for you.