UVA artificial pancreas improving blood sugar control for children ages 2 to 6

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - A new UVA study is helping young children with type 1 diabetes live healthier lives.

The health system created a man-made pancreas in 2020 for adults and children 6 and older. The pancreas continuously monitors insulin.

Now, researchers have found this can be most useful in children between the ages of 2 and 6. UVA Health says this is because children in this age group may not always say when they are feeling their insulin crash.

“The artificial pancreas that we tested in children is the exact same as the one that is now being used. What we found is that to some extent, it is more efficacious for that population than for older children and adults,” UVA medical technology engineer Marc Breton said.

The findings were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

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