SWEET: New European Diabetes Initiative * Campaign to Improve Treatment of Children With Diabetes

Bad Homburg (Germany) 14 April (PROTEXT/ots) - Each year, more and morechildren and adolescents all over the world are diagnosed with type 1diabetes. The overall annual increase is estimated at around 3%.(1)However, even in countries with highly developed health care systems, thecare received by young people with diabetes is not always optimal. This iswhat SWEET intends to change: SWEET is the first project aimed at improvingthe diagnosis and care of children and adolescents with diabetes in Europein order to prevent costly and debilitating secondary disorders. Theinitiative, which is subsidised by the EU, was kick-started on April 9th inBad Homburg, Germany.

"Diabetes is different for children than for adults," explains Dr. ThomasDanne, director of the SWEET project, General Secretary of the ISPAD(International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes), and Directorof the Diabetes Centre for Children and Adolescents in Hanover, Germany."The motor activity of children, for instance, is entirely different. Theysleep longer, their eating habits are not predictable, and they tend tocatch cold easier." Taking these behaviours into account requiresparticularly flexible treatment strategies and the assistance of the entirefamily as well as the child’s teachers. "To make sure that everyoneinvolved is able to help, we need specific group-based training programs,"states Dr. Danne. He finds it equally important to ensure that all childrenand adolescents with diabetes can be cared for in specialized treatmentcentres for diabetic children, where a multidisciplinary team is able torespond to the metabolic challenges experienced by the young patients asthey grow up. "Even in countries with well-developed health care systemsmany children are not treated by teams experienced in paediatric diabetes,"explains Dr. Danne. He hopes that SWEET will eliminate this problem.

SWEET - for better quality of care for young patients

SWEET is an acronym standing for "Better control in paediatric andadolescent diabetes: working to create Centres of Reference" and is basedon a partnership of established national and European diabetesorganisations. Led by the ISPAD, the goal is to develop jointrecommendations with regard to the treatment strategies and standards forpaediatric diabetology as well as training programs for both diabetesexperts and patients over the next three years at 10 paediatric centresthat already specialize in the treatment of diabetes. Furthermore, SWEETplans to promote the establishment of additional reference centres. Theparticipating countries are Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Greece,Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland, Sweden, and the CzechRepublic.

Additional partners of the networking initiative are the European branch ofthe International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the Federation of EuropeanNurses in Diabetes (FEND), and Primary Care Diabetes Europe (PCDE).Cooperation between the reference centres will be set up such that it willextend well beyond the three-year term of the SWEET networking project.

SWEET needs support

The SWEET project has received a total of € 360,000 from the Public HealthAgency of the European Union as part of the health information programme.However, much more will be needed to implement all project objectives. Asdirector of the project, Dr. Danne hopes to inspire additional support forthis forward-looking concept. This would contribute toward enabling morechildren and adolescents with diabetes to receive adequate medical care andbe treated by experienced teams.

(1) Diabetes Atlas third edition, International Diabetes Federation, 2006.

Media Contact:

IDF Europe

Kerrita McClaughlyn

Phone: +32 2 543 1639

E-mail: media@idf.orfg

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