Doctor On Call: Recognizing Early Signs Of Type 1 Diabetes In Children

Diabetes affects nearly 38 million Americans, including children and adults. Of those, approximately 2 million have Type 1 diabetes, a condition that pediatrician Dr. Scott Cyrus discussed with News On 6's Leanne Taylor.

“Basically, diabetes is when the organ that makes insulin gets attacked—likely by a virus—and starts to shut down,” Cyrus explained. “The blood cell needs insulin to get the sugar inside of it, and without insulin, blood sugar rises to very dangerous levels.”

Dr. Cyrus shared that his youngest patient with Type 1 diabetes was just three years old. He noted that young children with diabetes often display classic symptoms like extreme thirst, increased hunger, frequent urination, weight loss, and fatigue.

“Their body thinks they’re starving, but their blood sugar is sitting on the outside of the cell when it needs to be on the inside,” he said.

Cyrus highlighted that Type 1 diabetes typically develops suddenly over the course of a few months, whereas Type 2 diabetes progresses more gradually and is often linked to obesity.

“Type 2 diabetes is about the insulin receptors not responding as well. It’s more chronic, with similar symptoms, but it often comes with being pre-diabetic or borderline diabetic,” he said.

Other symptoms parents should look for include blurred vision, weakness, and significant changes in eating or bathroom habits. High blood sugar levels—sometimes reaching 500, 600, or even 800—can lead to serious complications, including hospitalization.

Treatment options for diabetes have advanced significantly, particularly for those with Type 1 diabetes.

“Insulin is a mainstay of treatment—you can’t live without it,” Cyrus said. “Now, we have continuous monitoring devices and pumps that help regulate blood sugar. These devices can mimic the pancreas, keeping blood sugar levels in a safer range and preventing big swings that cause complications like kidney damage, vision loss, heart attacks, or strokes.”

Dr. Cyrus also spoke about promising developments in diabetes care, including genetic testing.

“About 85% of Type 1 diabetes cases are what we call ‘de novo,’ meaning there’s no family history,” he said. “But we can now test family members for the antibodies we believe attack the pancreas. With early detection, we can intervene sooner and even delay the progression of the disease with treatments that target these antibodies.”

As the interview concluded, Dr. Cyrus brought a celebratory cake and flashlight to mark the station’s 75th anniversary, tying his gesture to his mission of “shining a light on diabetes.”