GLYCEMIC CONTROL, GROWTH AND COMPLICATIONS IN CHILDREN WITH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS - A STUDY OF CHILDREN ENROLLED IN A SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM FOR DIABETICS IN KINKI DISTRICT, JAPAN

The influence of glycemic control on growth and on the development of complications in diabetic children was studied. The subjects of the st udy were 107 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), who were enrolled in a Summer camp program for diabetic children in K inki District, Japan from 1972 to 1990, and who had at least three det erminations of HbA(1) during the observation period. Many of the child ren had high mean levels of HbA(1), regardless of age. The height and weight were below the standards for the respective ages in many childr en, indicating the retardation of growth. However, S.D. scores for hei ght and weight and other physical indices were not related to the mean levels of HbA(1). By contrast, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was related to an elevated mean level of HbA(1), but that of albuminu ria was not. Serum cholesterol levels were higher in children with hig her mean levels of HbA(1), but serum triglycerides appeared not to be related to glycemic control. The incidence of retinopathy during the o bservation period closely related to the degree of the mean levels of HbA(1), but that of albuminuria did not.