CINCINNATI -- Nearly 250,000 children and adolescents in the United States have type 1 diabetes. Keeping blood sugars in range is vital for these kids to remain healthy, and technology is making that easier than ever.

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There's a lot Nicolle See likes about playing soccer. "Just having fun and like getting exercise," she said, and it helps her stay healthy.

When Nicolle was 6, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

"It's just always something," said Nicolle's mom, Catherine See. "It's always in the back of your mind."

"It's hard because you have to remember to check your blood sugar, and you have to remember to give yourself insulin because you sometimes can forget things," Nicolle said.

Now, technology helps kids like Nicolle remember.

"Technology is one way of bringing something new and different into diabetes care, and frankly, it does make life easier," said Dr. Lori Laffel, a pediatric endocrinologist at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

With a personal digital assistant, kids can upload blood sugar readings, insulin doses and carbohydrate intake daily. In a study, children who used a PDA along with special software checked their sugars more often and had lower readings.

Good blood sugar control can save children from complications like blindness, stroke and kidney disease.

"The more children check their blood sugars, the lower their measure of diabetes control, and lower here is better. This is like a golf game," Laffel said.

In another study, Laffel found children who were sent SMS text message reminders to their cell phones checked their blood sugar more often. Receiving reminders online via e-mail or instant messages may also be helpful.

Nicolle said technology makes having diabetes a little easier.

"It would remind me to check my blood sugar more often, which I can forget, and it's, like, a funner way," she said.

Laffel said her goal is to find the best ways to keep children and families involved in checking blood sugars, so they can choose the treatment that's best for them.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Joslin Diabetes Center
One Joslin Place
Boston, MA
(617) 732-2400
http://www.joslin.org

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