Question: What are the goals for sugar control and special challenges for a young child with diabetes?
Answer: The American Diabetes Association recommends that every person with diabetes try to keep his or her hemoglobin A-1-c below 7 percent.
That works for adults and it works for many children, but it doesn't address the special needs of particularly young children. In the age group from four to ten there are issues often with meals. It isn't always predictable that a child will eat everything presented at a meal and it may be necessary to delay insulin until after it's clear what that child has actually eaten in order to prevent a risk for hypoglycemia.
So for children in this age group we modify the recommendations for their blood sugars to be in the target rage of 70 to between 170 and 180. And that gives rise to a Hemoglobin A1c recommendation of less than 8 percent in this age group.