PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN ESTONIAN CHILDREN WITH TYPE-1 DIABETES

This cross-sectional study describes the physical development of 62 di abetic patients who comprised one-third of all 10-17-year-old Estonian children with Type 1 diabetes. Diabetic children were shorter than he althy Estonian children with a mean corrected height standard deviatio n score (SDS) of -0.78 +/- 1.37. Diabetic children living in rural are as were significantly shorter than urban diabetic children (p < 0.05). A significant negative correlation was found between the duration of diabetes and the corrected height SDS (p < 0.01; r = -0.36). Current g lycated haemoglobin (HbA(1)) (mean 11.7 +/- 2.2 %) was inversely corre lated to insulin dosage (p = 0.01) and to availability of home blood g lucose monitoring (p = 0.03). Stepwise regression analysis showed that duration of diabetes (p = 0.02) and urban or rural abode (p = 0.04), but not age at onset of diabetes, current HbA(1) level, availability o f home blood glucose monitoring or socio-economic status, influenced s ignificantly corrected height standard deviation score (SDS). Despite having the same body mass index, diabetic children, especially girls, had thicker biceps and triceps skinfolds than controls. Estonian teena ge diabetic children were shorter than healthy children and had increa sed biceps and triceps skinfold thickness without being overweight. Du ration of disease was the predominant adverse influence on growth.