Diabetes in Pediatrics

According to the CDC, as of 2010 diabetes effects about 1% of the population aged 20 years or less in the United States, with 13,000 children under the age of 18 diagnosed with type one diabetes per year. In 2007 it was found that an average expenditure was $11,744 per year. This amount includes direct attributes to diabetes such as medical costs, as well as lost work days, restricted activity and disability related to diabetes. This amount is “approximately 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2012).

Type one diabetes is the most common type of diabetes diagnosed in children and young adults. With this type of diabetes, the body destroys the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. Insulin is needed to transport glucose into the cells to use as an energy source. Because of the destruction of insulin cells, type one diabetes is insulin dependent, meaning insulin therapy is needed to treat the disease. Many of the common symptoms include: frequent urination, excessive thirst and hunger, extreme fatigue, blurry vision, weight loss, and slow healing of cuts and bruises (American Diabetes Association (ADA), 2013).

The clinical therapy of type one diabetes focuses on glycemic control, which can be is obtained through nutritional management, exercise and insulin therapy. The goal of insulin therapy is to maintain a normal blood glucose level which ranges from 60 to 100 mg/dL. To keep insulin therapy effective, the child and the parent must monitor the child’s blood glucose before and after meals, carbohydrates consumed must be counted, and exercise should be apart of the daily routine. Nutritional management is important “to provide adequat...

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