Tulsa World: Juvenile diabetes is easy to detect

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Juvenile diabetes is easy to detect
Yet it might take an emergency for parents to recognize symptoms.

Vicki Rodriguez administers insulin to her son, Taelem, who has Type 1 diabetes. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World

By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Published: 2/14/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 2/14/2009 2:58 AM

It took a stint in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for Taelem Rodriguez's parents to learn that he had Type I diabetes.

But the 4-year-old's mother, Vicki Rodriguez, doesn't want that to be the case for other children.

"I would tell people to definitely look for urinating a lot and drinking a lot," she said. "They don't have to wait until they start losing weight."

Like Taelem, a startling 50 percent of Tulsa-area children on SoonerCare or Medicaid who are diagnosed with Type I diabetes get the news while suffering a life-threatening complication of the disease — diabetic ketoacidosis.

"We most frequently see DKA in people who are newly diagnosed," said Dr. David Jelley, the Hille Chair of Diabetes and medical director of the Tulsa branch of the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is the leading cause of death in children with Type I diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes.

A Type I diabetic's body does not produce insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar and other food into energy for daily living.

A lack of awareness of the early symptoms of Type I diabetes appears to be the reason for the number of children who are diagnosed only after suffering ketoacidosis, Jelley said.

The average rate of children with that illness at the time of Type I diabetes diagnosis is 25 percent to 30 percent, he said.

"Parents may not have as ready access to health care. They may not have transportation or they may have difficulty finding a doctor who accepts SoonerCare," Jelley said. "And maybe they are not aware of early Type I diabetes symptoms of increased thirst and frequent urination."

Diabetic ketoacidosis happens when the body doesn't have the insulin required to convert the sugar to energy. Blood sugar rises, and the cells begin to break down fat for energy instead. This produces toxic acids known as ketones, which severely affect kidney, brain and cardiac functions, he said.

"Let's imagine your car takes regular gasoline. But for some reason, we have to put diesel in," Jelley said. "Your engine is not going to run smoothly, and you're likely to end up with significant damage."

Taelem had begun to lose weight even though he was eating more than ever, his mother said.

She first thought he had a minor bug and would get over it. He was still walking around and didn't seem as sick as he was. But when he began to lose weight and become lethargic, she rushed him to the emergency room.

"He would eat, then he would be lethargic and lay on the couch," Rodriguez said. "This is a kid who all day long is just playing. It was silent in my house. It was scary."

Within hours, Taelem was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, she said.

"They were pushing fluids because he was dehydrated," Rodriguez said. "That was weird because he was constantly, constantly drinking."

She said she wishes she had known the early symptoms of Type I diabetes and could have helped her son before he got so sick. Now he takes insulin shots and eats a low-carbohydrate diet.

"I didn't know anything about diabetes before," Rodriguez said. "I just want to say I'm really proud of the way Taelem has handled everything. He's taken it as a big boy."

Kim Archer 581-8315
kim.archer@tulsaworld.com

Diabetic ketoacidosis awareness campaign

To reduce cases, the OU Tulsa Pediatric Diabetes Center is launching an awareness campaign. A similar campaign in northern Italy in 1992 saw a 75 percent reduction in the rate of the illness in children.

The campaign is expected to reduce the illness among children and save on average $11,000 per hospitalization.

Most diagnoses of Type I diabetes occur in January and February.

Source: OU-Tulsa Pediatric Diabetes Center

Type I diabetes symptoms

(all are sudden onset)

Excessive thirst

Bed-wetting

Frequent urination

Weight loss despite increased appetite

Fatigue

Diabetic ketoacidosis symptoms

Nausea and vomiting

Deep breathing or shortness of breath

Decreased level of consciousness

Source: OU-Tulsa Pediatric Diabetes Center

By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer

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Bonasera the Undertaker, Brooklyn (2/14/2009 10:07:11 AM)

My son was diagnosed 15 years ago, at the age of two. My profound thanks to Dr. Jelley and his staff for the care they have given my son through all the years since.

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Daniel Day Simpson, Edmond (2/14/2009 1:40:40 PM)

The connection between diabetes and the immune system has been known in the medical world for some time. You are right Nag in that the western medical facility has rejected the idea. If a doctor in the US even suggests that diabetes can be cured with non traditional medicine they will be prosecuted and loose their medical license. One treatment that helps a lot with childhood diabetes is to remove all intake of micotoxins. The worst of the micotoxins is antibiotics. In fact, children respond strongly to probiotics. Then, like with Autism, if you remove HFCS, you wil see a fast improvement in their medical condition. It also involved removing mold and yeast and the derivatives. In the case of Autism which is closely related to the diabetes link, you also remove wheat gluten. Hey people, it costs NOTHING to remove micotoxins. All you do is go natural. Ok, so you have to buy some fruit from a health food store. So would you rather have healthy kids or pay a doctor and hospital bill? It truly is like the old adage, you can pay me now or you can pay me later..

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