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 has achieved a national certification for inpatient diabetes care. Norton Children’s is the first pediatric hospital in the country to receive it. Inpatient diabetes care is provided by the pediatric specialists with the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute. Specifically, the hospital received the certification for its glycemic management program. Glycemic management is the…
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…
For teens and young adults with diabetes and their families, the transition to adulthood can be both exciting and stressful. Some parents find it hard to transition management of their child’s care when for so long they have been used to managing their child’s chronic health condition. As they become adults, young people with diabetes…
Children with diabetes have a higher risk of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes have five times the rate of depression than adolescents without Type 1 diabetes. Impacts of depression and diabetes Depression coupled with diabetes can cause more hospital visits and an increased risk for complications due to a…
The cost of insulin keeps rising, making it difficult for diabetes patients to afford their lifesaving medication. Today, one vial of insulin, which manages a diabetic’s blood sugar, can cost hundreds of dollars, forcing many people with diabetes to pay exorbitant prices or even resort to rationing their doses in an attempt to manage their…
When a patient is newly diagnosed with diabetes, learning how to effectively manage their condition is a top priority at the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, part of Norton Children’s Endocrinology. A support staff of dietitians, social workers, child life specialists, doctors and nurses provide a host of diabetes resources to help kids and their families…
Many people spend family night having dinner or playing games, but for the Chrismans, family togetherness also involves glucose monitoring and changing insulin pumps. When their identical twin daughters, Quinby and Stella, were born, Natalie Chrisman and her husband, David, knew very little about Type 1 diabetes. There was no known family history of the disease….
Sometimes known as a “PKU test,” a genetic screening for newborns actually checks for a wide range of genetic disorders. PKU, an abbreviation for phenylketonuria, is a rare inherited disorder that causes the phenylalanine amino acid to build up in the body and can lead to brain damage. It’s caused by a genetic defect that…