Nine out of 10 parents unaware of Type 1 diabetes symptoms

[Northerner]

Nine out of 10 parents do not know the four main symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, according to a new survey commissioned by Diabetes UK.

The IPSOS Mori survey of 1,170 parents found that just nine per cent were able to correctly identify that frequently urinating, excessive thirst, extreme tiredness, and unexplained weight loss are all symptoms of the condition.

This lack of understanding is one of the reasons that a quarter of children with Type 1 diabetes are only diagnosed once they are already seriously ill with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life threatening condition which needs immediate specialist treatment in hospital.

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us...-parents-unaware-of-Type-1-diabetes-symptoms/

And let's not forget the unacceptably high number of healthcare professionals who also fail to recognise the symptoms, as mentioned in the article How many times have we heard that parents' concerns have been brushed off by GPs until things become critical?

 

[rachelha]

I have forwarded this on to Nathan's nursery, I am not sure how much training the staff there have on medical issues like this.

 

[StephenM]

I suspect that this figure would have been lower 20/30 even 40 years ago. The problem is that parenting has been dumbed down like so many things these days ? GCSEs, degrees, politicians (they can no longer make a speech like Michael Foot, Alan Clark, Tony Benn or even Enoch Powell ? they just utter sound bites). They tend to think they have nothing to do with their child?s discipline or education ? that?s the teachers? responsibility why they play with their smartphone on Twitter and Facebook. When I see the ankle biters pulling supermarket displays apart or chucking food around in cafes whilst their mums just smile and say children will be children I just see red! Rant over! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[Northerner]

I suspect that this figure would have been lower 20/30 even 40 years ago. The problem is that parenting has been dumbed down like so many things these days ? GCSEs, degrees, politicians (they can no longer make a speech like Michael Foot, Alan Clark, Tony Benn or even Enoch Powell ? they just utter sound bites). They tend to think they have nothing to do with their child?s discipline or education ? that?s the teachers? responsibility why they play with their smartphone on Twitter and Facebook. When I see the ankle biters pulling supermarket displays apart or chucking food around in cafes whilst their mums just smile and say children will be children I just see red! Rant over! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Given that the prevalence of Type 1 was significantly less 20-30 years ago, I would imagine there was even less knowledge back then, and probably a greater acceptance of the misdiagnosis by doctors etc. who were more likely to be thought infallible. I think it's a bit of a fallacy that things were 'better back then'. Even the experts knew less about diabetes, and probably thought it impossible for an adult to be Type 1 (or whatever it was called 40 years ago).