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Child Diabetes: ComplicationsHeart and Circulatory Complications | Dental Complications Kidney Complications | Foot Problems | Eye and Vision Complications Nerve Complications | Skin Complications Heart and Circulatory ComplicationsHeart and blood vessel problems are the main causes of sickness and death among diabetics. These problems can lead to poor blood flow in the legs and feet, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes.If your child feels dizzy, has sudden sight loss, slurred speech, or numbness or weakness in one arm or leg, they may be having serious circulation problems. Other danger signs of circulation problems to the heart include chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, swollen ankles, or irregular heartbeats. If your child has any of these signs, go to an emergency room or call your health care provider right away. Pain in the buttocks, thighs, or calves during physical activity can be a sign of circulation problems to the legs. Report these problems to your child's doctor. Keep the heart healthy:
Dental ComplicationsBecause of high blood glucose, people with diabetes are more likely to have problems with their teeth and gums. You need to care for your child's teeth and gums every day to keep them healthy.Regular, complete dental care also helps prevent dental disease. Pay attention to the gums—they can show you if there are dental problems. Sore, swollen and bleeding gums are a sign of gingivitis. Periodontitis occurs when your gums shrink or pull away from your teeth. Reduce dental problems:
Kidney ComplicationsDiabetes can cause diabetic kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure. There are steps you and your child can take to control and prevent kidney problems. Controlling their blood glucose can prevent or delay the onset of kidney disease. Keeping blood pressure under control is also important.The kidneys regulate the water in the body and help filter out harmful wastes. The waste passes from the body in the urine. Diabetes can damage the parts of the kidneys that filter out wastes. When the kidneys fail, a person has to have his or her blood filtered through a machine (a treatment called dialysis) several times a week or has to get a kidney transplant. Your child's doctor can test for a protein (microalbumin) in the urine to check on the health of the kidneys. Microalbumin in the urine is an early sign of diabetic kidney disease. Help keep the kidneys healthy:
Foot ProblemsYou can control the more serious foot problems caused by nerve damage, circulation problems, and infections that can go along with diabetes. Over half of diabetes-related amputations can be prevented with regular exams and patient education.Why are foot problems associated with diabetes? Nerve damage can cause your child to lose feeling in your feet. The loss of feeling can sometimes cause a child to walk differently. This may, in turn, deform or misshape their feet, creating pressure points that can then turn into blisters, sores, or ulcers. Poor circulation can slow down the foot's healing. Checklist for healthy feet:
Eye and Vision ComplicationsDiabetic eye disease is a serious problem that can lead to loss of sight. Keeping your child's blood glucose level closer to normal can help prevent or delay the onset of diabetic eye disease. Finding and treating eye problems early can help save your child's sight.Even if your child is not currently experiencing problems, eye disease might be developing. Regular eye exams are important for catching problems early. You may notice signs of vision changes, such as having trouble reading, blurred vision or are seeing dark spots, flashing lights or rings around lights. Be sure to tell your child's eye doctor about any problems you may notice. Vision-correcting glasses may help correct low or poor vision. Surgery can help save sight for people with advanced diabetic eye disease. Make sure your child:
Nerve ComplicationsDiabetic nerve damage is a problem for many people with diabetes. Over time, high blood glucose levels damage the delicate coating of nerves. Nerve damage can cause many problems, including foot pain.If your child is experiencing pain, burning, tingling, or loss of feeling in the feet and hands, these may be signs of nerve damage. Nerve damage can also cause them to sweat abnormally and make them feel light-headed when standing up. Some children may develop problems swallowing and keeping food down. If your child is having bowel or urination problems, tell the doctor. Nerve damage can lead to bladder and kidney infections. Prevent nerve damage:
Skin ComplicationsUp to one out of three people with diabetes will have a skin disorder caused or affected by diabetes. Such problems may be the first sign they have diabetes. If caught early enough, most skin conditions can be prevented or easily treated.Having diabetes puts your child at a greater risk of developing common skin conditions in addition to conditions that only affect people with diabetes. You might see your child experience several kinds of bacterial infections. Styes are infections of the glands of the eyelid. Boils, infections of the hair follicles, and carbuncles, deep infections of the skin and the tissue, may also occur. Inflamed tissues are usually hot, swollen, red, and painful. Thanks to antibiotics and better control of blood sugar, doctors are better able to treat bacterial infections in people who have diabetes. Yeast-like fungus can create itchy rashes of moist, red areas surrounded by tiny blisters and scales. These infections often occur in warm, moist folds of the skin, like armpits and between fingers and toes. Common fungal infections include jock itch, athlete's foot, and ring-shaped itchy patches called ringworm. Curing fungal infections requires prescription medicine. Itching is often a symptom of diabetes. It can be caused by a yeast infection, dry skin, or poor circulation. The itchiest areas may be the lower parts of the legs when poor circulation is the cause. You may be able to treat your child's itching yourself by using mild soap with moisturizer and apply skin cream after bathing. Good skin care:
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