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Recognise the symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children and young people

Recognise the symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children and young people

Following a recent increase in delayed diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in children and young people, the North East Ambulance Service is supporting the work of the National Children and Young People Diabetes Network and Diabetes UK, to ensure health care professionals and families are equipped with the right information for recognising diabetic related symptoms.

Call handers, frontline ambulance staff and other health care professionals; as well as the parents and carers of children are urged to recognise the four T’s, which are the most common symptoms of type 1 diabetes:

• Toilet - Going to the toilet a lot, bed wetting by a previously dry child or heavier nappies in babies
• Thirsty - Being really thirsty and not being able to quench the thirst
• Tired - Feeling more tired than usual
• Thinner - Losing weight or looking thinner than usual

30% of children and young people in the North East that are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, present at hospital in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is a serious, life-threatening problem that can happen if their body starts to run out of insulin.

Too many children and young people are not diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes until they are in DKA and require urgent medical attention. If families and health care professionals are more aware of the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes at an earlier stage, it can help more patients get diagnosed quicker, before it gets too late.

There is paediatric identification referral guidance for health care professionals to use when triaging children and young people with DKA symptoms, which can be found here.

When the body enters a DKA stage, harmful substances called ketones, which is effectively acid, build up in the body, which can be life-threatening if it's not found and treated quickly.

The most common symptoms of DKA include:

• Increased urination
• feeling very thirsty
• vomiting
• tummy pain
• breath that smells fruity (like pear drop sweets, or nail varnish)
• deep or fast breathing
• feeling very tired or sleepy
• confusion
• passing out

DKA begins with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes and is caused when your body attacks the cells in your pancreas that make insulin, so you can’t make any insulin at all, which we all need to live as it allows the glucose in our blood to enter our cells and fuel our bodies.

Blood glucose levels will spike and continue to increase without insulin, leaving the patient in a state of hyperglycaemia. Regularly having high blood sugar levels for long periods of time (over months or years) can result in permanent damage to parts of the body such as the eyes, nerves, kidneys and blood vessels.

Very high blood sugar levels can cause life-threatening complications, including DKA – which is caused by the body needing to break down fat as a source of energy, which can lead to a diabetic coma.

By making sure children and young people get a quick diagnosis and early treatment, it can avoid them becoming seriously ill with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).