The Medical Journal of Basrah University

Abstract

Abstract
Background: Growth problems represent an important complication in children and adolescent with Type1 diabetes mellitus and poor metabolic control seems to impact their growth velocity.
Aim: to assess the nutritional status in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus, in relation to selected patients' variables.
Methods: a case-control study has been carried out to assess the nutritional status of sixty-one patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus; and eighty-two age and sex matched healthy children as control group; their ages ranged from 3-14 year, from the 1st of October 2016 till 15th of March 2017.
Results: The mean age of diabetic patients was (10.3±3.02) years; (60.66%) belong to large family size with low education. Diabetic patients significantly belong to families with poor financial support and income in (45.9%) compared to the control group (26.8%) (p value 0.02), as well as those undernourished diabetic children significantly belongs to families with poor income than those with normal nutritional status (75%, 38%) respectively. Body mass index was significantly below 5th percentile in diabetic patients than the controls (19.68 %, 2.4 %) respectively; P value 0.001. History of inadequate dietary intake was recorded in 66.67% of patients; significantly related to undernutrition in diabetics patients than controls (P value 0.002). Undernutrition in diabetic children significantly associated with poor glycemic control with significantly high level of HbA1c (13.9±9.57) than those without undernutrition (10.6±5.28) respectively.
Conclusions: Frequent evaluation of diabetic children is required to overcome the problem of undernutrition in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Keywords: Type1diabetes; Nutritional status; Children; Basra