Children and adolescents with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes may no longer need injections of insulin if a new inhaled form of insulin is found to be safe and effective. “Some kids — especially kids who have been diagnosed recently — can have a difficult time getting used to injections. This formulation is a…
As the daughter of a pediatrician, Megan B. Coriell, M.D., was drawn to medicine from an early age. “I grew up around medicine,” said Dr. Coriell, a Louisville native. “I watched the relationships my mom made with patients and their families and saw how much she loved her job.” When the future Dr. Coriell started…
You wouldn’t know it, but Kylie Smith is in the early stages of Type 1 diabetes. Thanks to a new treatment at Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, Kylie, a 15-year-old from Shepherdsville, Kentucky, has the chance to potentially delay getting the disease. Two years ago, Kylie’s sister developed Type 1 diabetes, which happens when the pancreas…
Treating patients with diabetes is a passion that runs deep for Kupper A. Wintergerst, M.D., Wendy L. Novak chair of pediatric diabetes care and clinical research and pediatric endocrinologist with Norton Children’s Endocrinology. Since the Louisville native arrived at Norton Children’s Hospital in 2006, the endocrinology and diabetes program has expanded from a single physician…
Dulce Alvarez Batres of Louisville, Kentucky, was diagnosed with neonatal diabetes when she was just 1 week old. Dulce’s mom, Wendy Batres, was not prepared at all. “She is a girl that is teaching us a lot,” Wendy said. “From the get-go we have been learning with her.” Although Dulce was born full term at…
After your child receives a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, you may wonder, “What about school?” Developing a Section 504 plan for diabetes that formalizes your child’s needs is part of federal law that gives students the right to receive the diabetes care they need to be safer and participate in school activities. 504 plan for…
Prediabetes in kids is on the rise in the U.S., and the numbers are concerning. Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents, ages 12-18, are living with prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prediabetes is the precursor of Type 2 diabetes. It happens when a child’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but…
Preventing or delaying the onset of Type 2 diabetes in children can include small, simple changes to increase daily physical activity and eat a healthier diet. Even a small amount of weight loss can help prevent or delay diabetes. In Kentucky, 23.8% of kids ages 10 to 17 are obese. That’s the highest obesity rate…
Does COVID-19 affect diabetes? COVID-19 can increase the risks of diabetes complications. Although children with diabetes are not more likely to get COVID-19 because of their condition, it can lead to other health concerns. Viral infections and high blood sugar also can cause inflammation in diabetes patients, which contributes to more serious illness and diabetes-related…
Trey Adams is an active 11-year-old. He competes nationally in taekwondo and various styles of dance and practices one or the other pretty much every day. A little more than year ago, Trey started wetting the bed. When he went with his mother to his pediatrician to find out what was going on, a finger-prick…
Norton Children’s Hospital and the Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation today announced the creation of the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute. A $15 million lead gift from the Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation is the starting point of a $60 million vision to expand diabetes care for children and adults, as well as build…
Treating diabetes with food When it comes to managing diabetes, medications and insulin aren’t the only ways to help. Food can be an effective form of diabetes treatment, according to Morgan Kopka, RDN, L.D., a diabetes educator with Norton Children’s Endocrinology. The latest research shows combining so-called “culinary medicine” with a food prescription program delivers promising…