Goals for Children
| Author: Judy Kohn, RN, BSN, CDE |
| Last Updated: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 |
Q: "Are there different glucose goals for children?"
A: Yes. The American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Clinical Practice Recommendations state different goals for those under age 20 for the following reasons:
- Toddlers and school age children are at high risk and vulnerable to hypoglycemia.
- The risk of complications is relatively low prior to puberty.
- Developmental and psychological issues make it difficult to achieve and maintain tight control.
Note that while the goals for adults are stated for pre-meal and post-meal times, the goals for children are stated for pre-meal and bedtime/overnight times.
Here are the plasma blood glucose (mg/dL) and A1C goals for type 1 diabetes by age group:
|
Value by age (years) |
Before meals |
Bedtime/overnight |
A1C |
|
Toddlers and preschoolers (0-6) |
100-180 |
110-200 |
<8.5% (but >7.5%) |
|
School age (6-12) |
90-180 |
100-180 |
<8% |
|
Adolescents and young adults (13-19) |
90-130 |
90-150 |
<7.5% |
Key concepts for setting goals include:
- Goals should be individualized and lower goals may be reasonable based on assessment of the benefits/risks.
- For children with frequent hypoglycemia or hypoglycemia unawareness, blood glucose goals should be higher than those listed above.
- Postprandial (testing after meals) blood glucose values should be measured when there is a discrepancy between pre-meal blood glucose values and A1C levels.
For your reference, the ADA goals for adults are:
Pre-meal: 70-130 mg/dL
Post-meal: <180 mg/dL
A1C: <7%
As always, be sure to discuss this with your healthcare team.
You can read more details in the related answers below.
Related Questions
Q: Glucose Goals
"What is a good blood glucose reading?"
Q: When to call the doctor
"I always read about target goals, but they don’t say when to call the
doctor. What is really too low or too high? Although I am often under 130
before meals, sometimes I’m not; yet I can’t imagine that I would call every
time I’m above 130."
Related Links
American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org
Important Notice: The responses provided by the team of Diabetes Educators are based on their personal experiences and expertise as practicing diabetes healthcare professionals, and are not to be considered diabetes management advice from Abbott Laboratories. Remember that information provided by the team of Diabetes Educators is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any healthcare questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to healthcare issues.
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