Why Parents Should Worry When Children Overeat Yet Lose Weight | Paediatrician
A Paediatric Endocrinologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Dr. Elizabeth Oyenusi says there is a course for concern when children eat excessively yet lose weight.
According to the expert, excessive weight loss in children is among the symptoms of diabetes and urged parents that have children with Type 1 diabetes to stop treating them as if they have Type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Oyenusi, who is also a Consultant Paediatrician, also advised them to stop being too restrictive with their children’s diet.
Speaking in an interview with PUNCH Healthwise, the paediatric endocrinologist noted that Type 1 diabetes is not hereditary, unlike Type 2 diabetes.
She advised parents of children living with Type 1 diabetes to ensure that they take their insulin shots regularly, noting that if they fail to do as recommended by the physician, they could come down with complications.
Dr. Oyenusi explained that insulin is a hormone that is responsible for allowing glucose in the blood to enter cells, thus, providing them with the energy to function.
She said that a lack of effective insulin plays a key role in the development of diabetes.
Mayo Clinic says Insulin therapy is often an important part of diabetes treatment, adding, ”Understand the key role insulin plays in managing your blood sugar and preventing diabetes complications.”
Speaking further with our correspondent, Dr. Oyenusi said passing urine excessively, too much water intake, excessive food consumption and weight loss are some of the symptoms associated with diabetes in children.
“Type 1 diabetes happens because something went wrong in the person’s genes. It is not inherited; it’s just that it is in the gene and somehow, the body starts attacking its own cells. That is what we call autoimmune.
“In children that have Type 1 diabetes, the body attacks the pancreas, the organ that produces the insulin, because insulin is what helps us take glucose into the cells,”
she said.
The endocrinologist pointed out that it is risky for diabetic children not to take their insulin as recommended, warning that they could come down with complications that may lead to death. She added:
“If they don’t take their insulin, they could develop complications. They will be breathing fast and could fall into a coma. They will be urinating excessively too. They could become blind and develop kidney problems.”
The paediatrician said if children with diabetes are well managed well, they can be fine and live purposeful lives.
She urged the government to make the treatment of Type 1 diabetes free for children, stressing that in many countries the treatment is free.
Dr. Oyenusi counselled family members of children with diabetes to show empathy and support, and not to stigmatise them.
According to an online health news portal, Medical News Today, although it is not possible to prevent type 1 diabetes, there are, however, available measures to help lower the risk. It stated:
“Breastfeeding infants until the age of six months minimize exposure to infections during childhood. Receiving the recommended vaccinations on time and practising good hygiene, such as handwashing.”
The health portal noted that anyone with a family history of diabetes should be aware of the symptoms of high blood sugar, which include exhaustion and excessive thirst and urination.
According to the World Health Organisation, Type 1 diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent, juvenile or childhood-onset) is characterised by deficient insulin production and requires daily administration of insulin.
“In 2017, there were nine million people with type 1 diabetes; the majority of them live in high-income countries. Neither its cause nor the means to prevent it are known.
“Symptoms include excessive excretion of urine (polyuria), thirst (polydipsia), constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes, and fatigue. These symptoms may occur suddenly”,
WHO says.