Blood Sugar Levels in Kids with Diabetes

Blood sugar levels in kids with diabetes: Diabetes management plan is a requisite for maintaining normal blood sugar levels in kids with diabetes.

Himanshu Sharma
Written by: Himanshu SharmaUpdated at: Jun 12, 2012 18:32 IST
Blood Sugar Levels in Kids with Diabetes

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Blood Sugar Levels in Kids with Diabetes

Steep increase in the reported cases of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents has become a global concern. Parents must ensure that their diabetic children are administered thoroughly. To keep blood sugar levels within the normal range, parents need to structure a diet plan and make few lifestyle alterations.

Ideal Blood Sugar Level in Kids

  • A healthy child has blood sugar levels under 100 mg/dl (after fasting for eight to 10 hours).
  • Measurement of blood sugar levels for children with diabetes reads over 126 mg/dl.
  • Blood sugar level within 100 to 126 mg/dl is ascribed as developing diabetes (prediabetes).


Children with Type 1 Diabetes

  • Parents need to structure diabetes management plan as soon as type 1 diabetes mellitus is identified, which primarily aims to maintain blood sugar levels.
  • The condition of low blood sugar is known as hypoglycaemia, which can cause confusion, clumsiness, dizziness and vertigo in children.
  • High blood sugar or hyperglycaemia causes frequent urination, increased thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, fatigue or blurry vision.
  • Treatment of every individual differs as the signs and symptoms vary.
  • Even the dosage of insulin varies in children from adults to prevent long-term health problems, mental concerns and other potential health concerns.


Administration of Blood Sugar Level


Insulin level should be kept within the target range by making lifestyle modifications. A child's blood sugar within the normal level also ensures that his/her body is ably converting food consumed into much-needed energy for the body's cells. If not administered, diabetic condition worsens with increase in blood sugar, which leads to serious health conditions such as kidney disease and eye problems.

Diabetes Management Plan for Children

A health care provider will prescribe a set of guidelines to administer diabetes. These instructions will point out the following concerns:

  • Maintenance and monitoring of blood sugar levels and ketones when child gets ill.
  • Prescription medicines for children including over-the-counter drugs.
  • Dietary regimen with special mention on the foods to avoid.
  • When to seek assistance of a health care provider
  • Special care of child to prevent infections.


Medical Interventions for Maintaining Blood Sugar Levels

If your health care provider identifies diabetes, he will prescribe screening tests to structure the plan of action. The tests to measure diabetes include:

  1. Blood sugar tests: Blood sugar level will be measured regularly to examine the impact of lifestyle changes. If blood sugar test results are inconclusive, health care provider will go for glycated haemoglobin (A1C) test.
  2. Glycated haemoglobin (A1C) test: This screening reflects average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. The percentage of blood sugar attached to haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells is measured to assess the administration of blood sugar levels.

 


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Steep increase in the reported cases of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents has become a global concern. Parents must ensure that their diabetic children are administered thoroughly. To keep blood sugar levels within the normal range, parents need to structure a diet plan and make few lifestyle alterations.

Ideal Blood Sugar Level in Kids

•    A healthy child has blood sugar levels under 100 mg/dl (after fasting for eight to 10 hours).
•    Measurement of blood sugar levels for children with diabetes reads over 126 mg/dl.
•    Blood sugar level within 100 to 126 mg/dl is ascribed as developing diabetes (prediabetes).

Children with Type 1 Diabetes

•    Parents need to structure diabetes management plan as soon as type 1 diabetes mellitus is identified, which primarily aims to maintain blood sugar levels.
•    The condition of low blood sugar is known as hypoglycaemia, which can cause confusion, clumsiness, dizziness and vertigo in children.
•    High blood sugar or hyperglycaemia causes frequent urination, increased thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, fatigue or blurry vision.
•    Treatment of every individual differs as the signs and symptoms vary.
•    Even the dosage of insulin varies in children from adults to prevent long-term health problems, mental concerns and other potential health concerns.

Administration of Blood Sugar Level

Insulin level should be kept within the target range by making lifestyle modifications. A child's blood sugar within the normal level also ensures that his/her body is ably converting food consumed into much-needed energy for the body's cells. If not administered, diabetic condition worsens with increase in blood sugar, which leads to serious health conditions such as kidney disease and eye problems.

Diabetes Management Plan for Children

A health care provider will prescribe a set of guidelines to administer diabetes. These instructions will point out the following concerns:

•    Maintenance and monitoring of blood sugar levels and ketones when child gets ill.
•    Prescription medicines for children including over-the-counter drugs.
•    Dietary regimen with special mention on the foods to avoid.
•    When to seek assistance of a health care provider
•    Special care of child to prevent infections.

Medical Interventions for Maintaining Blood Sugar Levels

If your health care provider identifies diabetes, he will prescribe screening tests to structure the plan of action. The tests for diabetes include:

1.    Blood sugar tests: Blood sugar level will be measured regularly to examine the impact of lifestyle changes. If blood sugar test results are inconclusive, health care provider will go for glycated haemoglobin (A1C) test.
2.    Glycated haemoglobin (A1C) test: This screening reflects average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. The percentage of blood sugar attached to haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells is measured to assess the administration of blood sugar levels.

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