Management of the Adolescent Diabetic Patient

Abstract

Diabetes is far more difficult to control in young patients than in older patients. The inefficiency of carbohydrate homeostasis in juvenile diabetes necessitates a regimen of close observation and regulation. The patient's caloric needs should be evaluated at six month intervals or less. The desired degree of control determines the type of insulin used and the administration. A psychosomatic approach also is essential for proper management. Young diabetic patients should consider their condition an inconvenience, not a disability.