| Managing type 1 is a tall order for many kids. | | | | may be available this year. |
| "The whole system hinges on adherence at every | | | | New ways to deliver insulin |
| step: testing blood sugar, giving shots, recording every | | | | For toddlers, rapid-acting insulins are ideal. "At this age, |
| little thing they eat," explains Naomi Neufeld, M.D., clinical | | | | you can't always predict what they're going to eat," |
| professor of pediatrics at the University of California, | | | | says Dr. Neufeld. (Inhaled insulin, which acts rapidly but |
| Los Angeles. "But it doesn't always happen, especially | | | | lasts as long as regular insulin, is pending approval for |
| when your kids aren't in your sight." | | | | use in children; its effect on developing lung tissue still |
| The good news is that several innovations are making | | | | needs to be determined.) |
| it easier for kids-and their parents or guardians-to keep | | | | Endocrinologists are also investigating the treatment of |
| careful control. | | | | other diseases in the hopes of finding applicable |
| Monitors | | | | technologies. A new pen for injecting growth |
| Wireless blood-glucose meters using cell-phone or | | | | hormones, for example, records time and dose with an |
| BluetoothÂ(R) technology store readings and can | | | | iPod-like device, says Dr. Neufeld, "and there's no |
| transmit them to a computer at home or at the | | | | reason it couldn't be used for diabetes." |
| doctor's. The physician can view your child's blood | | | | Be receptive to changes in technology, say experts, |
| sugar history on a single screen, which makes it easier | | | | and ask your doctor to keep you up-to-date. The |
| to spot trends and problems. | | | | latest-and future-devices won't take patient |
| Talk to your doctor about the right device for your | | | | responsibility out of the equation, but they will make |
| child. Some wireless monitors are not FDA-approved | | | | your life and your child's life easier. |
| for kids, and your insurance may not cover them all. | | | | Source: Diabetes Care, November 2006. |
| Some doctors also use the continuous glucose monitor | | | | Ask the Right Questions |
| with kids, even though it's not FDA-approved for use | | | | Thinking of trying a new device? The American |
| with children. This device, which measures glucose | | | | Diabetes Association advises asking your doctor: |
| levels in the tissue fluid under the skin, isn't a substitute | | | | What experiences have other patients had with it? |
| for the blood glucose monitor. | | | | Have insurance companies covered the costs? |
| Insulin pumps | | | | Are there benefits to a pump over injections? |
| These wearable pumps for continuous administration | | | | What's involved in going from injections to a pump? |
| of insulin can be a boon to kids. In one study from the | | | | Is it clear how much insulin to use with a pump? |
| Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, school-age children | | | | If my child gets continuous insulin, how will it affect |
| on pumps monitored themselves more frequently, | | | | what she eats and how she exercises? |
| needed less insulin daily and had better blood sugar | | | | What kind of training will my child and I receive? |
| control than those using standard injection therapy. | | | | How often will blood sugars need to be checked? |
| Studies have found that children as young as 18 | | | | Does it hurt? |
| months can use the portable pumps effectively. The | | | | The latest crop of diabetic devices offer exciting |
| pumps provide a baseline level of insulin throughout the | | | | possibilities for glucose control for children with type 1 |
| day and can be programmed to give rapid-acting | | | | diabetes-and adults, too. Find out which one is right |
| insulin analogues before or immediately after meals. | | | | your family. |
| Someone still has to enter the amount of insulin to | | | | Writer: Molly Lyons |
| administer, and that depends on what the child is | | | | ©MDminute: Diabetes Issue 1, 2007 |
| eating. | | | | Get a FREE 2-year subscription to the health care |
| Combination monitor-pumps | | | | magazine, REMEDY. REMEDY is an award-winning |
| "These devices are the most promising to pediatric | | | | magazine published by MediZine, LLC. that can help |
| endocrinologists," says Dr. Neufeld. The pumps sense | | | | you and your family get healthy and stay healthy for |
| glucose and automatically adjust insulin. The first model | | | | life! Sign up today! |