Changes in management and outcomes for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes over the last 50 years

Over the 50 years from 1964 to 2014, outcomes for children with type 1 diabetes have improved significantly, because of both technological advancements and changes in management philosophy. For the child with type 1 diabetes in 2014, intensive management with multiple daily injections or insulin pump therapy and the support of a specialist multidisciplinary team is now standard care. The main treatment goal is no longer the avoidance of hypoglycaemia, but the minimisation of hyperglycaemia and glucose variability, thereby reducing the risk of microvascular complications. However, the inherent burden of care and diligence required by patients and families, if they are to maintain optimal diabetes control, have not changed and may even have increased. While the long sought-after cure for diabetes remains elusive, artificial pancreas or closed-loop systems hold the most promise for improving the burden of care in the near term for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.