Management of diabetes in pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence

Primary care physicians are likely to become involved with the management of many types of patients who have diabetes, including children and adolescents. Although specialty consultation is necessary for these young patients, the primary care physician often provides a strong cornerstone of therapy revolving around complication surveillance, disease prevention (especially in patients who have gestational diabetes following the completion of their pregnancy), motivation toward making healthy lifestyle choices, and support of the family unit once a new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus is made. By promoting a healthy lifestyle to high-risk patients, primary care physicians can help delay the onset and reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents.