Last Update: 08/22/2006 Printer Friendly Printer Friendly   Email This Page Email This Page  

Diabetes Research in Children Network (DirecNet)

man giving diabetes test to young girlThe Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Growth Branch established DirecNet, the world’s first research network to focus on diabetic children, in order to monitor levels of plasma glucose non-invasively, and to prevent attacks of hypoglycemia in 2001. DirecNet consists of five diabetes centers working together to develop and test non-invasive ways to monitor children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) for episodes of hypoglycemia that attend intensive insulin therapy. The incidence of hypoglycemia in adolescents who receive intensive insulin therapy is three times that of adults. The risk of hypoglycemia is the main obstacle to successful management of diabetic children of all ages.

Specific goals for DirecNet include assessing the accuracy, efficacy, and effectiveness of continuous monitoring devices used by children with T1DM. In addition, the network has evaluated the frequency of hypoglycemia to determine the extent to which children’s exercise contributes to the risk of the condition. DirecNet also focuses on possible changes in neurocognitive function that may be engendered in children with T1DM by frequent bouts of hypoglycemia. In its first three years of operation, DirecNet generated 17 published abstracts and seven published articles about the strengths and weaknesses of using non-invasive monitors in children with T1DM for assessing episodes of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Because little is known about daily fluctuations in plasma glucose levels in non-diabetic children, DirecNet investigators also studied this issue and found that most children maintained their levels of plasma glucose within a surprisingly narrow range (98 +/-13 mg/dL) and rarely experienced plasma glucose levels below 70 mg/dL (DirecNet Study Group 2004).