Despite advances in technologies and strategies for care, achieving HbA1c targets remains a significant challenge for the majority of youth in the T1D Exchange registry. Most children with type 1 diabetes have hemoglobin HbA1c values above target levels, according to a published study.

Jamie R. Wood, M.D., from the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and colleagues assessed the proportion of youths meeting targets for HbA1c, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI) using data from 13,316 participants in the T1D Exchange Clinic Registry younger than 20 years old with type 1 diabetes for at least one year.

The researchers found that 64, 43, and 21 percent of participants met the American Diabetes Association HbA1c targets of less than 8.5% for those younger than 6 years, less than 8.0% for those aged 6 to younger than 13 years old, and less than 7.5% for those age 13 to younger than 20 years old, respectively. Most participants met the blood pressure and lipid targets, and two-thirds met the goal of less than 85th percentile for BMI.

“Moreover, a large number of youth with diabetes already have additional vascular disease risk factors at a young age," the authors write. "This analysis suggests further transformations to improve pediatric diabetes care are needed to prevent future complications of diabetes."

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