HEALTHY FAMILY
Living with
Youth Diabetes
BY HEATHER M. ROSS
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic health condition
in which the body either doesn’t make
enough insulin or doesn’t use it as well as
it should. Insulin, a naturally occurring
hormone made in the pancreas, helps the
body use sugar for energy. There are three
main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and
gestational diabetes.

Risa Wolf, M.D., an associate profes-
sor of pediatrics in the division of pediatric
endocrinology at Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, says that the incidence
and prevalence of type 2 has been increas-
ing over the past two decades. Specifically,
doctors are seeing more diagnoses among
children, and during the pandemic.

According to the nonprofit American
Diabetes Association (ADA), headquar-
tered in Arlington, Virginia, DMV residents
are feeling the effects of this increase
more and more, as it is estimated that one
in every three children born after 2000 in
the U.S. will be directly affected by diabe-
tes. The nonprofit helps to fund research
for preventing, managing and curing
the condition.

Wolf says that the ADA is a good place
to start in terms of family support, as the
organization has a tremendous amount
of resources and the largest network of
diabetes camps nationwide.

Finding Out
Learning that your child has diabetes is
never an easy process, nor is it always
straightforward. During a routine checkup in 2021, Ellicott
City teen Hakeem Shonubi, 15, presented
a significant change in blood sugar rela-
tive to his medical history. This sent him to
the emergency room and led to a two-day
stay at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
26 Washington FAMILY
APRIL 2023
in Baltimore, where he was diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes.

When he first heard his diagnosis,
Hakeem was surprised—and devastated. He
hadn’t felt ill at all. “I knew nothing about
it,” he says.

The fact that Hakeem’s condition was
discovered by a routine visit shows how
important seeing a pediatrician regularly
can be. But there are also some symptoms
to look out for that children commonly pres-
ent prior to diagnosis, according to Wolf.

These symptoms can include frequent uri-
nation, drinking a lot, fruity-scented breath,
confusion and fatigue.

They can prove difficult for parents to
spot, especially if they have multiple chil-
dren. That’s why knowing the risk factors for
diabetes is helpful.

The risk factors for type 1 include a fam-
ily history of type 1 diabetes and the right
age, as the condition most commonly devel-
ops in children, teens or young adults. Type
2 diabetes is more likely to develop if you
meet any of the following criteria: age
45+, overweight, have a close relative with
type 2, have a low level of physical activity,
are a member of certain ethnic groups or
have prediabetes.

Prediabetes, as Wolf explains it, is when
someone has a higher-than-normal blood
sugar level, but not high enough to indicate
type 2 diabetes yet. Parents should know
that even if their child has prediabetes, life-
style changes can help prevent or delay
the onset of type 2 diabetes, according to
Centers for Disease Control.

Management Two years after his diagnosis, Hakeem has
become something of an expert on han-
dling his condition. He manages his diabetes
with routine visits to the Children’s Center,
healthy lifestyle choices, frequent visits to
DAISY-DAISY/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
A DIABETES DIAGNOSIS CAN FEEL CRUSHING, especially when
you aren’t expecting it. This is even more true when the diagnosis is
for your child. But parents of children living with diabetes and doc-
tors both have one clear message: the condition is manageable.