How can doctors diagnose babies (from the age of birth to one year) with diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes can be seen in young children just under a year old or so. It is not very common, and often not an easy diagnosis to make until the child gets quite sick. Parents would notice excessive thirst, heavier than usual diapers, poor weight gain (or weight loss), and their child “just not acting right.”

There is also a rare condition, different from type 1 diabetes, where newborns can have a temporary problem with high blood sugars, and need insulin injections for a few weeks or months. These babies come off insulin, but may be at higher risk for diabetes later in life. Some of these children have other congenital problems, and they may have an abnormality in the development of their pancreas.

LM