Pediatric Diabetes Clinic

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is the most common chronic disease of childhood, with an annual incidence rate of 18.2 new cases per 100,000 for children under 19. It is increasing steadily at ~3-5 percent per year, with most of the newly diagnosed children under 7 years of age.

The incidence of type 2 diabetes is clearly linked to the epidemic of childhood obesity and increasing at an alarming rate. It is estimated that there are at least 4,000 children with diabetes mellitus in North Carolina.

Comprehensive care for diabetic children in North Carolina is to be limited to a few centers. Alarmingly, more than one third of diabetic children (~1,500) have very sporadic or no access to a specialist, and/or are followed by physicians without adequate training for pediatric diabetes.

Our Children's Diabetes Clinic now follows ~1000 patients and receives 10-15 referrals of new onset diabetes per month, making it a major pediatric referral center for children with diabetes. This center provides coordinated and comprehensive health care to children with diabetes mellitus in a cost effective manner and is also a resource for the education of physicians, allied health professionals, students and the general population on diabetes and diabetes care issues in children.