Management of diabetes in childhood: are children small adults?

Diabetes in childhood is the most common chronic disease and generally fits the type 1 category, even though other forms of non-autoimmune diabetes are now emerging in this age. At variance with adults, children and adolescents undergo physiological process, which may frequently require adjustments of clinical management of diabetes. Moreover, the hormonal and psychological changes during puberty may be crucial in conditioning management. Furthermore, common illnesses frequently affecting children may also destabilise metabolic control. Consequently, education in children is the cornerstone of treatment. This review focuses on the several and peculiar aspects of practical management of diabetes in paediatric age, which require professional figures such as paediatricians, nurses, dieticians, psychologists, social assistants originally trained in paediatric area, able to deal with the age-related medical, educational, nutritional and behavioural issues of diabetes.