Assessment and monitoring of metabolic control

• Better metabolic control is associated with fewer and delayed microvascular complications
• Optimal glycemic control could only be assessed and maintained by frequent and accurate monitoring
• In younger children, clear targets of glycemic control are less certain but there is good evidence that suboptimal levels of metabolic control at all ages are associated with a higher risk of both acute and long-term complications
• In very young children with diabetes, improvements in measures of glycemic control must be balanced against the potentially increased risks of severe hypoglycemia