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Management of Hypoglycemia in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

  • Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (M Pietropaolo, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Hypoglycemia and fear of hypoglycemia limit appropriate glycemic control in many children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Traditional approaches to the prevention of hypoglycemia including patient education about modifiable risk factors for hypoglycemia (changes in insulin, diet, and exercise) and frequency of self glucose monitoring remain important for hypoglycemia prevention. Continuous glucose monitoring systems with or without a partial closed-loop control of insulin infusion have been very useful in the prevention of hypoglycemia. Oral carbohydrate and parenteral glucagon continue to be the mainstays of hypoglycemia treatment. In the future, we can look forward to regulatory approval of closed-loop insulin delivery and glucose monitoring systems to facilitate euglycemia, as well as glucagon administered by the intranasal route to treat hypoglycemia.

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Acknowledgments

Dayna McGill is supported by the Joslin Diabetes Center NIH Training grant, T32 DK007260-39.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, 5th Floor, Pediatrics, 175 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Dayna E. McGill

  2. Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, 5th Floor, Pediatrics, 175 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Lynne L. Levitsky

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  1. Dayna E. McGill
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Correspondence to Lynne L. Levitsky.

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Dayna E. McGill and Lynne L. Levitsky declare that they have no relevant conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by either of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes

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McGill, D.E., Levitsky, L.L. Management of Hypoglycemia in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Curr Diab Rep 16, 88 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-016-0771-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-016-0771-1

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