World Health Organization issues a consolidated guideline on type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents

13 November 2026

The World Health Organization has released a guideline on the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents, as part of its consolidated guidelines for the management of common childhood illness. It covers diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care for patients up to the age of 19. The guideline is written for primary and secondary care, and especially for places where resources are short, because outcomes and access differ sharply between rich and poor countries. It is addressed to health care providers who are not specialists, as well as to programme managers and policy makers. Where blood glucose cannot be measured, the guideline allows a first clinical assessment using point-of-care urine dipstick testing. It sets out insulin types, starting doses, regimens and delivery devices, and individualised glycaemic targets. It also covers diabetic ketoacidosis in young children, the handling of hypoglycaemia, and risk-based screening for diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy. The recommendations were drawn up through systematic evidence reviews using the GRADE approach.