Treating Your Child's Low Blood Sugar Attack

How to Deal with Complications of Juvenile Diabetes

Apr 11, 2009 Robin Mayhall

Parents of a child with juvenile diabetes can learn to prevent and treat low blood sugar attacks.

If your child has a chronic illness like juvenile diabetes, protecting him and keeping him as healthy and comfortable as possible is no doubt your most important responsibility. There is probably nothing so frightening as watching a diabetic child exhibiting the symptoms of a low blood sugar attack, but parents can learn to recognize early warning signs and treat or even prevent these attacks.

What Is Juvenile Diabetes?

There are three major forms of diabetes: type 1 or juvenile-onset diabetes, type 2 or adult-onset diabetes (sometimes called diabetes mellitus), and gestational diabetes that can occur during pregnancy. All types involve changes in the way carbohydrates, proteins and fats are processed by the body into fuel.

Type 1 or juvenile diabetes is a lifelong condition with no known cause or cure. The patient's pancreas does not produce enough insulin, the substance that allows glucose to enter the body's cells for use as fuel. Without adequate insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. The body is unable to use this glucose for energy, leading to increased hunger, frequent urination and excessive thirst.

Complications of Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile diabetes can cause numerous complications for the patient, ranging from milder symptoms such as thirst or nausea to very severe complications like high blood pressure, infections or kidney failure. One major complication of juvenile diabetes is hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. While "low blood sugar" does not sound terribly frightening, the consequences for a diabetic patient can be.

Hypoglycemia can develop quickly in diabetics, especially young patients, if they use too much insulin, exercise too much or eat too little. Symptoms of mild hypoglycemia include hunger, nervousness, weakness, shaking and sweating. More serious hypoglycemia can lead to confusion and even loss of consciousness. If your child has diabetes and you notice these symptoms, it's extremely important to act fast with both first aid and a call to 911, as hypoglycemia can lead to a diabetic coma.

First Aid for a Diabetic Child

If your child shows signs of hypoglycemia, don't panic — but act quickly.
If you have a blood sugar test kit available, use it. If your child's blood sugar level is low, give him something sugary to eat or drink, like fruit juice, several teaspoons of sugar, a cup of skim milk or regular soda. His symptoms should ease within 15 minutes; if they don't, give more sugar and test his blood sugar level again.
Even if you don't have a test kit, give your child sugar anyway — it won't hurt.
Once your child's symptoms abate, give him something more substantial to eat. Give simple sugar first, because it will work faster to control the immediate symptoms. But when the blood sugar levels normalize, it's all right for your child to have "real" food.
Monitor your child closely as long as she is showing signs of low blood sugar. If symptoms become worse, or if she begins to seem confused, goes into seizures, or loses consciousness, call 911 immediately. If you have glucagon, administer a shot immediately and inform the 911 operator you have given it.
Always store some glucagon for these emergencies, and be sure that all family members, babysitters and caregivers know where it is and how to use it. Periodically check the expiration date.

Juvenile diabetes is a life-long diagnosis, but parents can learn to watch for many of the potential complications of the illness in order to help their children live longer and healthier lives.

The copyright of the article Treating Your Child's Low Blood Sugar Attack in General Medicine is owned by Robin Mayhall. Permission to republish Treating Your Child's Low Blood Sugar Attack in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Treat low blood sugar with a sugary drink or food.