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Lutheran Children's Hospital
The Lutheran Diabetes Treatment Center is proud (and fortunate) to be supported by the Lutheran Children's Hospital Diabetes Management Clinic and Insulin Pump Clinic.
Talk to our team about the special care and service that kids receive at the Lutheran Children's Hospital. Kids are treated like kids, not just small adults.
How Bad Is It?
Diabetes is an epidemic in America. Poor diet and little exercise add to an already complex problem.
Click here for some startling statistics on diabetes, including the cost in real dollars and the toll it takes on patients and their families.
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In the United States each year, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Increasingly, health care providers are finding more and more children and teens with Type 2 diabetes, a disease usually seen in people over age 40.
Diabetes presents unique issues for children and teens with the disease. Simple things like going to a birthday party, playing sports, or staying overnight with friends need careful planning. Every day, children with diabetes may need to take insulin or oral medication. They also need to check their blood glucose several times during the day and remember to make correct food choices.
For school-age children, these tasks can make them feel "different" from their classmates. These tasks can be particularly bothersome for teens.
For any child or teen with diabetes, learning to cope with the disease is a big job. Dealing with a chronic illness such as diabetes may cause emotional and behavioral challenges. We can help children and teens (and their families) learn to adjust to lifestyle changes needed to stay healthy.
Managing diabetes in children and adolescents is most effective when the entire family makes a team effort. The Lutheran Diabetes Treatment Center and Lutheran Children's Hospital Diabetes Management Clinic work with the entire family. It's essential that immediate family members be very aware of their child's specific needs. We can also provide education and training to schools, extended family, coaches... anyone who is responsible for the child's welfare.
To control diabetes and prevent complications, blood glucose levels must be as close to a "normal" range as possible. We'll work with families to help set a child's or teen's targets for blood glucose levels. We will also help develop a personal diabetes plan for the child and discuss ways to manage hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) or hyperglycemia (high blood glucose).
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