Despite great technological advances in Type 1 Diabetes (TID) [1] the progressive increase in the incidence worldwide has not been arrested [2,3]. There is evidence that environmental factors such as viruses have an important role in its etiology [4] and incidence.
In this Special Issue we attempted to include articles related both to the incidence and etiology of Type 1 autoimmune diabetes and neonatal diabetes as well as methods to improve their management. Blumenfeld et al. [5], studying the incidence of TID before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, registered a significant increase in the incidence before the vaccination and a decrease following the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccination. Despite this finding, the authors conclude that no clear link between COVID-19 and etiology could be drawn.
Kennedy et al. [6] reviews the procedure to measure beta cell reserve as an indicator for intervention in the autoimmune of TID by new drugs.
Three articles relate to the management of TID. Zahran et al. [7] reviews the diagnosis and management of the hyperosmolar syndrome, a serious biochemical complication resulting from delayed diagnosis. They stress the importance of education of health care personnel to avoid this pathological state.
Two studies in this Special Issue relate to psycho-social aspects. Villaecija et al. [8] studied the psychometric properties of a diabetes self-management test in a large group of adolescents and found it helpful in the management of the disease. A similar study with the same conclusions but using another method, including videos to evaluate the quality of self-management, was conducted by Kime et al. [9] in the UK.
The last article is a patient report of a two and a half month baby with neonatal diabetes [10]. The authors discuss the diagnosis including genetic analysis and management.
We hope the content of this Special Issue will be helpful to all of those caring for children with diabetes.
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflict of interest.
References
- Jacobsen, J.; Schatz, D. Immunotherapy-Based Strategies for Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes. Horm. Res. Paediatr. 2024, 98, 425–434. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Tuomilehto, J.; Ogle, G.; Lund-Blix, N.; Stene, L. Update on Worldwide Trends in Occurrence of Childhood Type 1 Diabetes in 2020. Pediatr. Endocrinol. Rev. 2020, 17 (Suppl. S1), 198–209. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ruiz-Grao, M.; Diez-Fernandez, A.; Mesas, A.; Martínez-Vizcaíno, V.; Sequí-Domínguez, I.; Sebastián-Valles, F.; Garrido-Miguel, M. Trends in the Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in European Children and Adolescents from 1994–2022: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pediatr. Diabetes 2024, 2024, 2338922. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Honkanen, H.; Oikarinen, S.; Nurminen, N.; Laitinen, O.H.; Huhtala, H.; Lehtonen, J.; Ruokoranta, T.; Hankaniemi, M.M.; Lecouturier, V.; Almond, J.W.; et al. Detection of enteroviruses in stools precedes islet autoimmunity by several months: Possible evidence for slowly operation mechanism in virus-induced autoimmunity. Diabetologia 2017, 60, 424–431. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Blumenfeld, O.; Rozenshmidt, M.; Eini, I.; Laron, Z. The COVID-19 Pandemic Increased the incidence of New-Onset Type One Diabetes in Children. Children 2024, 11, 142. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Kennedy, E.C.; Hawkes, C.P. Approaches to Measuring Beta Cell reserve and Defining Partial Clinical Remission in Paediatric Type 1 Diabetes. Children 2024, 11, 186. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Zahran, N.; Jadidi, S. Pediatric Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Syndrome; A Comprehensive approach to Diagnosis, Management and Complication Utilizing Novel Summarizing Acronyms. Children 2023, 10, 1773. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Villaecija, J.; Luque, B.; Cuadrado, E.; Vivas, S.; Tabernero, C. Psychometric Properties of the Revised Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Self -Management Scale among Spanish Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. Children 2024, 11, 662. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Kime, N.; Zwolinsky, S.; Pringle, A. Evaluation of the DigiBete App, a Self-Management App for Type 1 Diabetes: Experience of Young People, Families, and Healthcare Professionals. Children 2023, 10, 1933. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Trada, M.; Novara, C.; Moretto, M.; Burzi, E.; Tinti, D.; De Sanctis, L. Diagnosis and Treatment of Neonatal Diabetes Caused by ATP-Channel Mutations: Genetic Insights, Sulfonylurea Therapy, and Future Directions. Children 2025, 12, 219. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2025 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).