What Increases Your Risk

Risk factors for very high or low blood sugar levels in a child with type 1 diabetes include:

• Age. Very young children are at the greatest risk for very low blood sugar, because they are often not able to communicate symptoms.
• Tight blood sugar control. Although keeping your child's blood sugar levels tightly within a target range is important, this puts him or her at risk for frequent low blood sugar levels.
• Persistent high blood sugar levels. Children who have persistent high blood sugar, indicated by higher hemoglobin A1c test results, are at greater risk for diabetic ketoacidosis than children with lower levels.
• Puberty. Growth spurts and changing hormone levels that occur during puberty make it difficult to keep a child's blood sugar level within a target range.
• Psychiatric conditions. Children with depression, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or eating disorders are at increased risk for frequent high and low blood sugar levels.

Risk factors for these complications include:

• Persistent high blood sugar over time. The higher your child's blood sugar levels and the longer they remain high, the greater his or her risk of having complications in early adulthood.
• Length of time having the disease. The longer your child has diabetes, the more likely complications will develop, even if blood sugar levels are controlled.
• Having one of the complications. If one complication develops, your child is at risk for having others.
• Smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a family history of diabetic complications.