This poor disease control has increased the likelihood of the younger population to suffering complications in the future that could be brought about by the disease. When TID Exchange Clinic Registry data that had been collected for four years was analyzed, it became apparently clear that there was need to improve the outcomes of the treatment across all the age groups as well as the fact that diabetic ketoacidosis and severe hypoglycemia remained one of the most common complications associated with the treatment, especially when it came to younger and older patients.

Management of type 1 diabetes

Even though managing this disease at any age should be improved, it is very worrying as to how adolescents seem to be managing type 1 diabetes. In particular, this specific age group seems to be facing some unique challenges when it comes to managing diabetes and this ranges from hormone fluctuations, which affect control of blood sugar to the increased demands for diabetes self care at times as well as phases of going against the advise of their physicians and parents and this makes treatment of the disease a much more complicated affair. Data was analyzed by a team of researchers of 16, 061 adults and children having type 1 diabetes who were aged between 2 and 95 years and this comprised of 50% women and 83% whites. These persons were treated within T1D Exchange Clinic Network that comprises of 76 pediatric & adult endocrinology practices based in 33 states in the US.

The findings of the research

During the period of 4 years when follow up was done, there was an average increase of HbA1c to 8.4% from 8.2% in overall but this seemed to worsen overtime particularly for those between 13 and 25 years of age. For those aged between 18 and 25 years, it was only 14% of them who managed to meet the HbA1c recommendations of American Diabetes Association of below 7% when compared to the 30% adults.

Black participants seemed to have the highest levels of HbA1c as well as those whose household income was lower and those who monitored their level of glucose less than four times in a day. Those participants who used a continuous glucose monitor or insulin pump seemed to have lower values of HbA1c. HbA1c level elevations seemed to be present in all the age groups even though just 5% of then got adjunctive glucose monitoring agent as a treatment since metformin was used for most of them. Metformin treatment is linked to being able to lower HbA1c level modestly among adults having type 1 diabetes as written by the researchers.