Normally, juvenile onset diabetic disease is type 1 diabetes. Children that are diagnosed with ‘juvenile’ diabetes are usually medically insulin dependent because the body is unable to produce the insulin that it needs. However, increasingly juveniles are developing type-2 diabetes as well.
It is still not completely understood why the type-2 juvenile onset diabetic disease has been occurring more rapidly. Type-2 diabetes does not usually happen until adults reach about 40. However, it is thought to have something to do with the hormonal changes that happen around puberty for those children that are already genetically pre-disposed.
Obesity is also a significant factor in type-2 juvenile onset diabetic disease. Obese children produce too much insulin. Therefore, when the need for more insulin arises, they are unable to produce more. Also, the presence of too much fatty tissue leads to insulin resistance. The condition, however, is still fairly rare in children. Only children with risk factors really need to be screened. Children should be screened when:
- They are 10 years of age, or earlier if puberty occurs earlier
- They have a body mass index (BMI) which is greater than the 85th percentile
Plus any 2 of the following risk factors:
- They have a family history of Type 2 diabetes in a parent or sibling
- They are of African American, Hispanic, American Indian, or Pacific Islander origin
- They show signs of being insulin resistant
- They have conditions associated with being insulin resistance such as polycystic ovary syndrome, high blood pressure, and blood fat disorders.
Type-1 Juvenile Onset Diabetic Disease
Type-1 Juvenile onset diabetic disease is much more common. Type-1 diabetes most commonly occurs in children, adolescents, and young adults, although late onset is very possible for adult. Because of its predominance in children, type-1 diabetes is often referred to as ‘juvenile’ diabetes.
Type-1 diabetes is considered to be an autoimmune disease, which means that for some reason the body’s immune system attacks its own cells. It is also believed that this is brought about genetically, yet some environmental factors must be present to ‘trigger’ the disease. Many believe that this ‘trigger’ is often a virus that the child has been exposed to.
In type 1 diabetes, patients are insulin dependent because their pancreas produces little or no insulin. This insulin is needed to allow sugar to enter the cells, so that the cells can then produce energy. According to MayoClinic.com, known risk factors for this type of diabetes include:
Family history – particularly if a parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes.
Genetics–the presence of certain genes can indicate an increased risk.
Geography – the chance of getting type-1 diabetes tends to increase as you travel away from the equator. People who live in Finland and Sardinia, for example, have the highest incidence of this juvenile onset diabetic disease.
