Are Researchers Studying Diabetes in Children and Adolescents?
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and supports a wide range of research aimed at finding ways to prevent and treat diabetes and its health complications. The Institute’s research on type 1 diabetes focuses on understanding its causes, improving treatment, and developing new therapies that could prevent or cure diabetes. In addition, NIDDK recently created Trialnet, a clinical trials network to test new ways to prevent type 1 diabetes and to preserve beta cell function in people who already have diabetes. NIDDK is also setting up clinical centers to study the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. Treatment trials will look at lifestyle changes and drug therapy. Prevention trials will develop programs that can be used in schools and communities to lower risk factors for the disease. Other NIDDK-supported research on type 2 diabetes seeks to understand the causes of the disease, improve diagnosis, and develop new treatments. For
