Paediatric Diabetes
Specialist diabetic care for children and adolescents from the UK’s most renowned diabetologists
The experienced diabetic team at London Diabetes provide expert care for children and adolescents living with diabetes. The highly skilled paediatric diabetologists are supported by specialist dieticians, clinical psychologists, and diabetes specialist nurses with experience and expertise in treating and communicating with young people.
Most children with diabetes have type 1 diabetes, however type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in young people. Whatever form of diabetes a child has, the condition needs careful control so that they can stay healthy and reduce long-term complications. The expert professionals at London Medical offer the latest technologies and treatments for diabetes, to make it easier for children and parents to control blood sugar levels.
The team will help parents and children understand how to monitor glucose levels, get the nutrition a growing child needs, and help each child or young person live well with diabetes. Services include:
- Individualised care plans
- Education and training to help parents and children become experts at monitoring and treating diabetes
- Insulin pumps- Insulin pump therapy can improve glucose control, reduce complications and boost quality of life for children and young people living with diabetes. The specialist diabetologists at the London Diabetes Centre offer the very latest insulin pumps and a tailored training programme
- Clinical Psychologist support for anxiety, depression or behavioural issues
- School support and education
- Specialist diabetes dietician support including weight management when needed
- Support and training with carb counting
- Exercise counselling and guidance
- Advice on blood sugar monitors and use of downloading analysis
- Continuous Glucose Monitoring – CGM reduces the need for painful finger-pricking, picks up hypers and hypos and monitors a child’s sugar levels during exercise, school and sleep
- Podiatrist care and advice about keeping feet healthy
- Pneumococcal immunisation is recommended for all patients with diabetes who are not immune
- Support to transition to adult diabetes care. London Diabetes provides specialist diabetes care throughout life. Older teenagers will be supported and introduced to the adult diabetologist and specialist nurses.
London Diabetes offers a comprehensive range of tests and investigations for children and adolescents with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. These can monitor control, check for other conditions and screen for diabetes complications. They include:
- HbA1c- an indication of glucose levels over a prolonged period of time
- Renal function tests including urea and electrolytes to check for dehydration, acidosis and electrolyte levels
- Autoantibodies to check for Islet Cell Antibodies (ICA) or glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) autoantibodies which may be present in up to 90% of children with type 1 diabetes
- Screening for MODY, a rare genetic form of diabetes that more commonly affects adolescents and young adults
- Tests for autoimmune thyroiditis and coeliac disease which can accompany diabetes in some children
- Lipid analysis to measure cholesterol and triglycerides
- Vitamin D which is frequently low in children with type 1 diabetes
- Screening for retinopathy including fundus retinal photography with ophthalmologist report
- Screening for nephropathy including urinalysis
- Screening for cardiovascular complication including regular blood pressure monitoring
- 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, by miniature radial artery tonometry, including cASP
- Oral glucose tolerance testing for diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes in children and young adults
