Diabetes Options for Children

On Tuesday, August 27, 2002, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had approved the Glucowatch for use in children and teens with diabetes. (It had been approved for adults in 2001).

This noninvasive device, worn like a wristwatch, is able to monitor blood glucose levels without pricking the skin. It is capable of following blood sugar levels 6 times an hour painlessly. The technology is not yet at a level where it should replace finger-stick tests, but already can provide much more information about blood sugar patterns than would be practical to obtain otherwise. And it holds great promise for eventually eliminating these needle sticks for children.

Over 150,000 children in the United States have diabetes. Treatment for the next generation of children with diabetes may look very different indeed.