Metabolic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is an important disease in children and adolescent being a major risk factor for early morbidity and mortality. Objective: To know the degree of metabolic control and prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in T1D patients. Patients and method: Retrospective study including patients under 19 years of age with T1D controlled at a Chilean hospital in 2011. Results: 94 patients were evaluated (average age at diagnosis: 7,3 years; current age: 11,9 years; evolution time: 4,5 years). Seventy-nine percent (79,8%) of patients presented glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) over the recommended level with an average of 8,9%. The group between 13 and 19 years of age exhibited the worst metabolic control (86% with HbA1c abnormal levels). Overweight or obesity occurred in 26,6% of patients, 20,3% had LDL > 100 mg/dl and 4,2% had hypertension. Conclusions: Only about twenty percent of patients had adequate metabolic control as measured by HbA1c, although cardiovascular risk profile was acceptable. Therapeutic and educational efforts must be reinforced mainly in adolescents, emphasizing the importance of adequate nutritional management as a primary method to treat this entity. (C) 2015 Sociedad Chilena de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.