Fræðigrein

Introduction: The importance of adequate metabolic control in Type 1 DM has been repeatedly demonstrated in recent years. The care of diabetic children and adolescents in Iceland is centralized to one unit. The aim of the study was to analyze the quality of treatment and acute complications of Icelandic children with Type 1 diabetes.

Methodology: The total number of diabetic children in paediatric care was 98. A cross-sectional survey was done for the period March 15th to July14th 2004. The results for the patient last visit to the diabetes clinic were recorded. HbA1c levels (DCA 2000) and number of severe hypoglycaemic episodes, were evaluated.

Results: The number of visits to the clinic during the 4 month interval were 83 (43 boys, 40 girls), mean age 13.3 ± 3.78 years. Mean value of HbA1c in the cross-sectional survey was 8.16 ± 1.31%. No difference in HbA1c was found between girls and boys. HbA1c increased with age in girls (p<0.01). Ten children experienced a total of 12 severe hypoglycaemic events during the period (43.4/100 patient years).

Conclusion: Overall the metabolic control in children and adolescents with IDDM in Iceland is satisfactory compared to internationally published results. It is important to focus attention on children with inadequate metabolic control, especially adolescent girls, and children experiencing serious hypoglycaemic episodes.

Keywords: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Treatment, Pediatrics, HbA1c, Hypoglycemia.

Correspondence: Árni V. Þórsson

 

Table 1: Clinical characteristics of 83 Icelandic children with type 1 diabetes, included in a cross-sectional study of blood sugar control, followed at the Children¹s Hospital, Iceland.

Figure 1: Distribution of HbA1c in 83 Icelandic children with type 1 diabetes followed at the Children¹s Hospital, Iceland. Black bars represent boys and dotted bars represent girls.

Figure 2: Mean HbA1c values in83 Icelandic children with type 1 diabetes, followed at the Children¹s Hospital, Iceland. No statistical differences in HbA1c were noted between the genders (p=0.46).

Figure 3: Distribution of HbA1c by age in Icelandic children with type 1 diabetes, followed at the Children Hospital, Reykjavik. Boys are represented with black diamonds and girls with open triangles. Statistical testing between age groups was done with t-test.