Diabetes in Children and Teenagers

When a child develops diabetes it is usually Type 1 — an autoimmune condition in which the body stops making insulin. It has nothing to do with diet or sugar, and it cannot be prevented.

What to watch for

The classic signs come on over weeks and are easy to attribute to something else:

• Passing a lot of urine, including bedwetting in a child who had stopped
• Constant thirst
• Losing weight without trying
• Tiredness and irritability

Type 2 in teenagers

Once rare in young people, Type 2 is now seen in Indian adolescents — driven by weight, inactivity and a genetic susceptibility that shows up earlier in Indians than in Europeans. It develops slowly and often has no symptoms at all, so it is found on testing rather than by noticing something.

The two need different treatment: Type 1 requires insulin from diagnosis, permanently. Type 2 in a teenager is managed differently and often responds to lifestyle change alongside medication. Assuming a child with diabetes has one type when they have the other is genuinely dangerous.