Texas Children's Hospital - Diabetes Care Center battles a dangerous disease

For Parents

    Overview
    Your Child's Health
    Parents Advice Line
    Parent's Connection
    Send a Patient Greeting

Shine Magazine

Diabetes Care Center battles a dangerous disease

Texas Children’s Endocrine and Diabetes Care Center is at the forefront of researching ways to prevent and control diabetes and its complications.

Type 1 diabetes, which accounts for about 70 percent of new diabetes cases in children, occurs when the body does not produce insulin, a hormone that converts sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy.

In Type 2 diabetes, the most common form in adults, the body does not produce enough insulin because the cells are resistant to the actions of the insulin that is produced. About 30 percent of new cases in children are Type 2.

Diabetes Data

• 151,000 people below age 20 have diabetes

• One in 400 to 600 children has Type 1 diabetes

• Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in children
“Overweight or obese children have a higher risk of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, as well as kids with a strong family history of the disease,” said Dr. Morey Haymond, chief of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism at Texas Children’s and professor and chief of Pediatric
Endocrinology and Metabolism at Baylor College of Medicine. “If both parents have Type 2 diabetes, a child likely will be diagnosed with it at some point in his or her life.”

Combating childhood obesity is the primary way health care providers seek to prevent Type 2 diabetes. However, it is difficult for overweight children to follow physicians’ instructions and actually lose weight.

Treatment for diabetes includes controlling diet, medications and insulin, as well as establishing a lifestyle change that includes an exercise routine. Texas Children’s is taking part in a number of studies involving alternative ways to prevent and treat diabetes.

“We are participating in the TODAY Trial, headed by Dr. Siripoom McKay, which is examining several ways to treat children with Type 2 diabetes,” Haymond said.

Another study, headed by Dr. Barbara Anderson, examines how to combat diabetes “burnout,” which occurs because of pressures on patients and families to avoid blood sugar extremes. Dr. Rubina Heptulla is studying new approaches to insulin therapy involving the creative use of a number of new medications to counteract the rise of blood sugars after a meal.

“We hope to prevent, postpone or minimize the complications of diabetes in our children who have been diagnosed with this chronic and potentially debilitating disease,” Haymond said. “We just want to keep these kids healthy.”