Treatment Options for Pediatric Diabetes

Support: No funding was received in the publication of this article. The needs of pediatric patients with diabetes differ from those of adults. Challenges include growth and development, and care outside of the home, such as in the school setting. In addition, in type 2 diabetes, there are fewer treatment options for pediatric patients; while recent years have seen the approval of many glucose-lowering drugs for adults, only metformin and insulin are approved in patients aged under 18 years. In an expert interview, M Loredana Marcovecchio, of the University of Cambridge, UK, discusses recent advances and remaining challenges in the treatment of pediatric patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.