DIABETES FOUNDATION OF MISSISSIPPI LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN: “YOU’RE NEVER TOO YOUNG TO HAVE DIABETES”

With an elevated blood-sugar level of a whopping 1,100, two-year-old Branson was barely conscious when he arrived at the hospital’s emergency room.

Doctors had never seen anything quite like it, his mom recalled. His numbers were through the roof. The unusually high blood-sugar number did not even register on the blood-glucose monitor.

After being sent to one hospital from another and then airlifted to third hospital, Branson spent several days in the pediatric intensive care unit before stabilizing.

“Your son has diabetes” is what the doctors told Branson’s mother and grandmother.

“He’s still a baby– how can he have diabetes?” they remember asking the doctor.

But what many people do not know is that a diabetes diagnosis in children is not all that uncommon.

“There are an alarming number of children developing diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes,” said Irena McClain, of the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi. “What’s even more alarming, though, is the number of people who simply do not understand that children of any age can develop diabetes.”

Infants and small children are not immune to the development of diabetes, McClain said. It is imperative that parents, caretakers, teachers and health-care providers understand that undiagnosed diabetes can be lethal, and that there are several key warning signs, she said.

According to the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi– the only nonprofit organization in the state that provides support services to all Mississippi families affected by either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, – among the warning signs of diabetes is an increased thirst, frequent urination, bed-wetting or other accidents in children who are toilet trained, unusual sleepiness and fatigue, irritability, unexplained weight loss and nausea or vomiting.

Children of any age with symptoms of diabetes should have their blood glucose tested, McClain said. This is the basic premise behind the Diabetes Foundation’s new awareness campaign “You’re Never Too Young to Have Diabetes.”

Launched this summer, the campaign promotes diabetes awareness and education, particularly for individuals who are in direct contact with children– parents, grandparents, caretakers, teachers, pediatricians and others.

“It is a common misconception that because a child is only an infant, toddler or young child, there must be another reason for the symptoms that he or she is experiencing,” McClain said. “We hear stories from parents all the time. They tell us, ‘I thought that my child had a stomach virus’ or ‘My child played too hard for too long, which is why he was thirsty and extremely tired.’”

“In some cases, this may be true, but children who experience the symptoms of diabetes should have their blood sugar tested,” she said. “End of discussion.”

Err on the side of caution, because undiagnosed diabetes can lead to a life-threatening medical condition known as ‘diabetic ketoacidosis’ or ‘DKA,’ which may require emergency medical intervention.

In Branson’s case, this is exactly what happened. And while he has made a full recovery and is back to enjoying toddler life, not all stories have a happy ending.

“Know the warning signs, and remember that you’re never too young to have diabetes,” McClain said.

The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi (DFM) is the state’s only nonprofit health organization that provides diabetes research, information, patient services and advocacy, and its mission is to provide hope through research, programs and service to the 346,500 Mississippians with diabetes. Every dollar raised by the DFM stays in the state to support these efforts. In addition, 89 cents of every dollar raised goes toward the organization’s charitable purposes. The DFM is the one diabetes organization totally dedicated to all Mississippians– from children to seniors– who live with diabetes.

To learn more about diabetes in children, please contact the Diabetes Foundation at 1-877-DFM-CURE or visit www.msdiabetes.org.