Children and Diabetes

The current initiative of the International Diabetes Federation (a worldwide alliance of some 200 diabetic associations in more than 160 countries) is Children and Diabetes:

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases to affect children. It can strike children of any age, even toddlers and babies. If not detected early enough in a child, the disease can be fatal or result in serious brain damage. Yet diabetes in a child is often completely overlooked: it is often misdiagnosed as the flu or it is not diagnosed at all.

Every parent, school teacher, school nurse, doctor and anyone involved in the care of children should be familiar with the warning signs and alert to the diabetes threat.

The Diabetes Warning Signs

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Increased hunger
• Weight loss
• Tiredness
• Lack of interest and concentration
• Blurred vision
• Vomiting and stomach pain (often mistaken as the flu)

*In children with type 2 diabetes these symptoms may be mild or absent.

Organizations and Sites for Children and Parents of Children with Diabetes :

Life For a Child: Established in 2001 with support from Diabetes Australia – NSW and HOPE worldwide. It is an innovative and sustainable support program in which individuals and families participate to help children with diabetes in developing countries. Life For a Child Program now supports 931 children with diabetes in 17 countries:

Children’s Diabetes Foundation at Denver:

Check this site out for really practical tools for dealing with diabetes in kids every single day! The Foundation promotes public awareness of the symptoms of diabetes and provides schools with information about diabetes care. The site will also link you to the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes.

The Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes is one of the largest diabetes programs specializing in type 1 diabetes research and care (both children and adults) in the world. The Center is managed as a distinct administrative unit of the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is located within a building on the University of Colorado Denver on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado.

Planet D

An awesome community from the American Diabetes Association, Planet D bring kids with diabetes together to share, learn and support each other in a fun environment.

Kids With Diabetes

A California non profit, Kids With Diabetes provides charitable assistance to families with diabetic children; dispenses information to educate the general public regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and management of type 1 diabetes; and improves the quality of life for children living with diabetes – a chronic, progressive, and incurable disease.