Penza endocrinologist explained why children develop type 1 diabetes

When a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, parents often look for a single cause. But doctors agree: it is impossible to name one factor. The disease develops due to a combination of genetic predisposition and external triggers. Sweets, normal diet or lack of movement has nothing to do with it.

Pediatric endocrinologist Elena Akhmedova explained that the debut can happen at any age, but most often children and adolescents suffer. At the start, the body still copes, compensating for the lack of insulin, so the child looks healthy. But when the beta cells are destroyed more strongly, vivid symptoms appear: thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and constant fatigue.

Heredity plays a role, but it is not a sentence. If a close relative is ill, the risks are higher, but most children with this diagnosis do not have a family history of the disease. Genes only create the soil, and viruses can start the process (for example, Coxsackie or enteroviruses). The influence of nutrition in infancy, intestinal microflora and stress, which can accelerate the manifestation of an already begun disease, is also being studied.

Parents should be wary if the child has severe thirst, night incontinence, sharp weight loss with a good appetite, drowsiness or irritability. In babies, the signs can be lubricated: capriciousness, frequent urination, the smell of acetone from the mouth. Vomiting, abdominal pain and noisy breathing are an urgent reason to call a doctor, as these are signs of ketoacidosis.

The doctor emphasizes that there is no universal prevention. A healthy lifestyle is beneficial but does not guarantee protection. The main thing is not to blame yourself and the child, but to notice the symptoms in time and start treatment. With modern therapy, children can lead a full life, study and play sports.