Below, Dr. Brickman discusses how type 2 diabetes appears in children and teenagers, how families can learn to prevent it, and how endocrinologists are learning to treat it.
How does type 2 diabetes differ from type 1?
Glucose, or blood sugar, levels are controlled by the hormone insulin, which is secreted by one type of cell in the pancreas. The insulin sends signals to cells in certain tissues, such as muscle, and in response the cells use glucose for energy or store it for later use.
There are at least two problems with insulin in type 2 diabetes. One is insulin resistance, when your cells do not respond properly to the insulin signal and blood sugar is not stored or used, and the other is poor insulin secretion, where the cells of the pancreas cannot make enough insulin to overcome the insulin resistance. In type 1 diabetes, there is an autoimmune process that destroys the cells that make insulin, so it's purely a problem with insulin production and secretion.
There are differences in the way these diseases appear. In type 2 diabetes, the disease can be present while the kids feel completely asymptomatic. With type 1 diabetes, children usually have an increase in thirst and urination. When a child makes so little insulin that the body starts to use fats for energy, s/he starts to get very sick very quickly.
