Microvascular complications in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus in Assiut governorate, Egypt

Chronic Microvascular Complication of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Predictors Among Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Ethiopia; A Single Center Experience: Ambi Directional Cohort Study

Introduction

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is the most common pediatric endocrine disorder. Poor glycemic control in diabetes mellitus can result in microvascular complications (retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy). There is no study done in our setting either about prevalence of pediatric type 1 diabetes mellitus or chronic microvascular complication among these patients, which gap this study is expected to fill.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the risk and predictors of chronic microvascular complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus among children with diabetes at Haramaya University Hiwot Fana Compressive Specialized Hospital from September 10, 2021 to January 30, 2023.

Methods

A hospital-based Ambi directional cohort study was conducted. Survival data are described by follow-up time and Kaplan-Meier graph. To determine predictors associated with chronic microvascular complication we used a Poisson regression optimal model selected using the information criterion. All associations are tested at the 95% confidence level and a reported IRR P-value less than 0.05 is declared as a significant association between variables.

Results

A total of 124 children with type 1 diabetes mellitus were followed with total 407.5 years risk time. The overall incidence rate of chronic microvascular complication was 83 per 1000 population per year (95% CI: 59-116). The median time for detection of microvascular complication was 7 years after diagnosis. Being male with IRR 1.71 (95% CI: 0. 0.81-3.56), being at pubertal age IRR 1.91 (95% CI: 1.05-3.48), longer diabetes mellitus duration IRR 1.13 (95% CI: 1.07-1.28), and poor glycemic control IRR 1.50 (95% CI: 0.46-4.97) were found to be at higher risk for chronic microvascular complication.

Conclusion

There was high incidence of chronic microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus. Being pubertal age group and more than 3 years duration after diagnosis had statistically significant association with complication.

Maternal knowledge, coping strategies, and metabolic control of children with type 1 diabetes

Background

Trends of type 1 diabetes have increased among Egyptian children in the past two decades. Managing a child with type 1 diabetes is a great challenge for parents especially when the child is not developmentally able to manage the disease independently. This study aimed to determine level of diabetes-specific knowledge among diabetic children’s mothers, measure maternal diabetes-related stress, identify diabetes-related maternal coping strategies, and to examine the effect of maternal diabetes-specific knowledge, maternal diabetes-related stress, and their adopted coping strategy on glycemic control of their children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in outpatient clinic for diabetic children at a university hospital in Cairo, Egypt. One hundred and four mothers of diabetic children were recruited. Diabetes-specific knowledge was measured by Modified Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire. Diabetes-related stress and coping strategies were measured by the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Glycosylated hemoglobin level was obtained from medical records.

Results

61.5% of mothers had good diabetes-specific knowledge; however, 45.2% had high levels of diabetes-related stress. The most common adopted maternal coping strategy was acceptance of child’s illness (71.6%). Glycosylated hemoglobin level in diabetic children was negatively correlated with positive and wishful thinking (p = 0.042 and p = 0.010 respectively) and acceptance of illness (p = 0.002), while positively correlated with cognitive restructuring (p = 0.007).

Conclusions

Health education to train mothers to adopt positive coping strategies might maintain a better glycemic control in diabetic children in similar settings.

Urinary Cyclophilin A and serum Cystatin C as biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy in children with type 1 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Currently, microalbuminuria is the gold standard for detection and prediction of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, microalbuminuria appears once significant kidney damage has actually occurred.

OBJECTIVES

We investigated the diagnostic role of urinary Cyclophilin-A (uCypA), uCypA/creatinine ratio (uCypA/Cr) and serum Cystatin-C (sCysC) as biomarkers for early detection of DN in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) of short duration (2-5 years) before microalbuminuria emerges.

METHODS

uCypA, uCypA/Cr, and sCysC levels were assessed in three age- and sex-matched groups; microalbuminuric diabetic group (n = 31), normoalbuminuric diabetic group (n = 29), and control group (n = 30). Glomerular filtration rate was estimated (eGFR) based on both serum creatinine (eGFR-Cr) and sCysC (eGFR-CysC).

RESULTS

Significantly higher sCysC and lower eGFR-CysC were detected in both diabetic groups compared to controls and in microalbuminuric compared to normoalbuminuric group. No detected significant difference in eGFR-Cr values across the studied groups. Both uCypA and uCypA/Cr were significantly elevated in microalbuminuric compared to both normoalbuminuric and control groups with no difference between normoalbuminuric and control groups. Prediction of microalbuminuria was conducted using sCysC with area under curve up to 0.980. Combined use of sCysC and uCypA had better diagnostic value than uCypA alone.

CONCLUSION

sCysC is a promising early biomarker for DN in childhood T1DM before albuminuria detection. eGFR-CysC is superior to eGFR-Cr in evaluating renal status in childhood T1DM. uCypA and uCypA/Cr were useful tools in predicting microalbuminuria, although not regarded as diagnostic biomarkers for early-stage DN in T1DM children by the current study.