The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center is offering the opportunity for patients with childhood-onset Type 2 Diabetes and their families to participate in an important study to determine the best treatment.  The Berrie Center is one  of 13 centers in the U.S. who are part of  this NIH multi-center study, named "Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth" (TODAY) Trial. The TODAY Trial will determine the best treatment options for kids with type 2 diabetes

The Berrie Center plans to recruit 100 kids ages 10 to 17 for this study, The TODAY Trial will provide medication and diabetes education at no charge as part of this study. The TODAY Trial compares the effectiveness of diabetes education combined with oral medications and an intense lifestyle intervention.  The 3 treatment arms are:

• Treatment with the oral medication metformin along with diabetes education
• Treatment with 2 oral medications, metformin and rosiglitazone, along with diabetes education
• Treatment with the oral medication metformin along with diabetes education and an intensive lifestyle program incorporating nutrition, physical activity and behavior modification.

Unfortunately, what used to be called "adult onset diabetes" is now occurring in children and adolescents.  The number of  children with type 2 diabetes - which is closely related to childhood obesity - has increased tenfold in the last decade., Some estimate that as many as 45 percent of new cases of diabetes in adolescents are type 2 diabetes rather than the juvenile form of the disease, type 1 diabetes. The TODAY Trial will help determine the best treatment for children with type 2 diabetes.  The Berrie Center and CUMC are pleased to be able to offer this important study to children with diabetes and their families in the New York metropolitan area.

For more information, please contact Research Coordinator Pat Kringas at 212-851-5489 or mpk40@columbia.edu.  You may also visit the TODAY Trial web site at http://todaystudy.org/index.cgi