Characteristics of diabetes onset in children hospitalised in a tertiary hospital during ten years

Abstract

Introduction. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is one of the most frequent chronic pathologies in childhood. Its incidence has increased in the last years. Objective. To analyze the epidemiological, clinical, analytical and therapeutic characteristics at the time of the disease’s onset, and to compare them between age groups of those patients with Diabetes mellitus type 1 in our region. Patients and methods. Retrospective observational study by reviewing the medical records of patients under 14 years of age with onset of type 1 diabetes between 2007 and 2017 in a tertiary-level hospital. The sample was divided by age into three groups (0-4 years, 5-9 years,10-14 years). Results. 64 patients were studied, the mean age was 8.15 years (SD 3.41), 48.4% of them between 5-9 years. No differences in sex or seasonal pattern were found, although younger children became ill more frequently in winter. There was no increase in incidence over time ordifferences in symptoms between groups. 36% debuted with diabetic ketoacidosis, mainly mild. We found a lower percentage of IAA and antiGAD antibodies than expected and a higher frequency of positive family history. A positive linear correlation was observed between the levels of bicarbonate and ketone bodies in blood and the insulin needs per kg of weight (p 0.025 and p 0.05 respectively). Younger children have lower HbA1c levels at the beginning of the disease. Conclusions. In our centre there is not an increase in the number of cases of this disease, although we found more cases at a younger age than expected.