The content in this section has been organized to follow the natural course of diabetes, from symptom recognition, to diagnosis, to treatment, to long-term outcomes. Most of the material in the diabetes section has been adapted, in collaboration with the Diabetes Team at The Hospital for Sick Children, from the book When a Child Has Diabetes, written by Diabetes Team members Denis Daneman, Marcia Frank, and Kusiel Perlman, Revised Edition, 2002, Key Porter Books. Contributions have been made by other health care professionals from the hospital and elsewhere. Parents of children with diabetes have also made a valuable contribution to the material in this section.
About Diabetes
This section helps you understand what diabetes means for your child’s health by explaining how the body, by producing insulin in the pancreas, works to keep blood sugar in a normal range. You’ll also find information on about the signs and symptoms that can be caused by diabetes.
Understanding Diagnosis
This section of the site will give you key information about your child’s condition to help prepare you to help your child through treatment and over the long term.
Treatment
Treatment for diabetes begins the moment the diagnosis is made. This section provides information and techniques that will help you care for your child and keep his blood sugar in a healthy range.
At Home
This section helps with information about organizing family life and daily routines, meal planning, special considerations for when your child may be sick, issues to do with school, and changes in routine like vacations.
Looking Ahead
This section has information on some of the long-term risks of diabetes, and also focuses on how to manage the transition from child to adult care and ensure a healthy future.
About the Diabetes Team at The Hospital for Sick Children
Diabetes care at The Hospital for Sick Children can trace its roots to the early days after the discovery of insulin by Frederick Banting and Charles Best at the University of Toronto. In 1923, Dr. Frederick Banting was appointed physician in charge of diabetes at the hospital. Dr. Gladys Boyd was placed in charge of the newly established diabetic clinic in 1924.
The Sick Kids Diabetes Team team provides comprehensive diabetes care to more than 1,000 children and teens with diabetes. This includes more than 100 newly diagnosed children and teens each year. The philosophy of the Diabetes Team is to provide care that fits the needs of each child and family living with diabetes. The goals of treatment are to maintain excellent health and quality of life throughout childhood, and to prepare children and teens with diabetes for a healthy adult life.
Please remember that this information should only be used as a guide. Every child’s situation is unique. If you have specific questions about your own child’s care, please speak to your child’s doctor.