Management of type I diabetes in children

  Diabetes is a common disease, multi-morbidity, has become the second killer of modern diseases, its harm to human body is second only to cancer. Type I diabetes is one of the chronic diseases that seriously endanger children’s health, and the incidence of type I diabetes among children in China is increasing year by year, with the incidence increasing with age, and the incidence showing a clear phenomenon of low in the south and high in the north between different regions. The management of type I diabetes in children faces more difficulties and challenges compared with that of type I diabetes in adults.  Once diagnosed, children with type I diabetes need to be treated with insulin for life. However, the blood glucose of children often fluctuates greatly and is prone to serious complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis, for the following reasons: Many parents of children with diabetes who are first diagnosed, especially parents of younger children, cannot face the reality correctly and often have the mentality of luck, thinking that their children may not have the disease, or even stop taking insulin; Children are at the stage of growth and development, with high metabolism and dynamic changes in weight. Their illness, parties, sports, potential changes in daily habits and menstruation can cause blood glucose fluctuations in their bodies.  Therefore, in the clinical management of type I diabetes in children, it is not only the use and adjustment of insulin, but also includes the education of children and their families, with the participation of including pediatric diabetes or endocrinologists, diabetes specialized nurses or diabetes educators, nutritionists, psychological/psychiatric counselors with specialized training in pediatric diabetes and pediatric social workers; in the subsequent management of children, family management It is important, and how it is properly managed is crucial to the quality of life of the child and the prevention of later diabetes-related complications, etc. The management of type I diabetes in children involves the “five horses”, namely, rational application of insulin, dietary management, exercise, self-monitoring of blood glucose, diabetes knowledge education and psychological support, here, we focus on diabetes knowledge education and psychological support.  Diabetes knowledge education for children with diabetes should be child-centered and should be implemented according to the child’s age, maturity of understanding and family cultural background. (1) Management of children with diabetes at first diagnosis: Parents of children with diabetes at first diagnosis should learn about diabetes through a variety of ways to lay the foundation for their children’s diabetes management later in life. Parents can focus on learning and communicating diabetes-related knowledge including necessary skills for treatment such as insulin injection, diet arrangement, blood glucose and urine sugar monitoring, etc., as well as how to adjust insulin, etc. to lower blood glucose levels and how to prevent, identify and handle hypoglycemia, etc., by consulting with doctors, popular science books and the Internet.  (2) Self-management of diabetic children: The management of diabetic children should be continuously deepened, and they should learn more about self-management and control blood glucose fluctuations to prevent and delay the occurrence and development of complications, so that diabetic children can become “doctors” of diabetes self-management and treatment. School-age children should learn to reasonably arrange diet, living and exercise, and deal with the relationship between diabetes treatment and study; adolescent children should learn to pay attention to diabetes-related problems such as improper diet, disease, exercise and hypoglycemia; they should also learn to self-inject insulin.  2. Psychological support for children with diabetes Psychological support for children with diabetes should be provided throughout the entire process of diagnosis and treatment to eliminate anxiety, fear and tension in children and parents, so that children can build up confidence to overcome the disease. Tell the child that there are no exactly the same things in the world, even twins have differences, just like his little friends, children with bad eyesight have to wear glasses for correction, children with bad teeth have to wear orthodontic braces, it is these differences of people that cause each of us to be different, children with diabetes are because the islet cells in their bodies are destroyed, so they cannot produce insulin. And this insulin is necessary for our body. After the food we eat every day is converted into glucose, it is under the action of insulin that it is converted into cells to provide the energy needed for the cells to work, just like those children who need to wear glasses because they can’t see well, a child with type I diabetes needs insulin to help his cells to work, and this is what makes him different from other children It is important for children with diabetes to understand that having diabetes does not mean that they are different from others, so that they can be encouraged and motivated to increase their self-confidence and independence, and to strengthen their sense of responsibility for self-management. The treating physicians and school teachers have the awareness and responsibility to provide scientific and reasonable psychological support to children with diabetes. Children with diabetes can also participate in various social activities related to children with diabetes (such as summer camps for children with diabetes, lectures on popular science for children with diabetes and fellowship for children with diabetes, etc.) and, if necessary, psychological counseling can be provided to children with diabetes and their parents by psychologists.  We wish that children with type I diabetes and their families can grow up and live as healthy and happy as normal children and their families through scientific and reasonable diabetes management!