Development according to pubertal stage in Brazilian children and adolescents with short-term diabetes

[Growth and body composition of a cohort of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the growth and body composition of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A cohort of 44 patients with T1DM were followed up for approximately four years and compared with a control group. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF%), fat mass index, waist circumference (WC) and waist-height ratio were determined.

RESULTS

In females, in the first evaluation, BF% was lower in patients than in controls, while in the second evaluation, mean WC was higher in patients than in controls. In males, height of the patients was lower in the first evaluation, while body mass index (BMI) was higher in the second one. We did not find any differences among the changes in height, weight and BMI z-scores and BF% or in the distribution of those z-scores between the two evaluations, in both groups. Multiple regression analysis found differences in BMI and waist-height ratio in both sexes and also in WC in females.

CONCLUSION

The patients had adequate growth but showed discrepancy in their body composition during the study.

Glycemic control in adult type 1 diabetes patients from a brazilian country city: comparison between a multidisciplinary and a routine endocrinological approach

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the metabolic control of a cohort of adult type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients assisted in a public Diabetes Center (DC) that follows the rules of a national diabetes society. METHODS: We compared for one year the metabolic control and the characteristics of 175 T1DM patients attended by a multidisciplinary team in a DC (test group) with 30 patients assisted only by endocrinologists at a public endocrinology outpatient center (control group). RESULTS: The test group presented a larger proportion of well-controlled patients (p= 0.002). The proportions (test x control group) were as follows: 51.4% x 16.7% in the subgroup with A1C < 7%; 21.7% x 36.7% in the subgroup with A1C between 7.1% and 8.0%; and 26.9% x 46.7% in the subgroup with A1C > 8%. Patients assisted in the DC presented a likelihood 4.38 times higher of reaching levels of A1C up to 7%. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the effectiveness of a DC and emphasizes the importance of education, adherence and multidisciplinarity as cornerstones for the treatment, showing that in developing countries it is possible to treat T1DM with satisfactory results.