GROWTH AND SUBCUTANEOUS FAT DURING THE FIRST 5 YEARS OF INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES IN CHILDREN

Thirty-four children were observed prospectively during a period of 5 years from the onset of diabetes regarding height, weight and subcutan eous fat in relation to treatment and diabetes control. Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) did not differ from those in a control grou p. The girls with diabetes increased their triceps and subscapular fat significantly despite a normal BMI. This increase in relation to cont rol girls was most pronounced during late adolescence. Triceps skinfol d and BMI after 5 years were both negatively correlated to insulin dos e per kilogram body weight in the diabetic girls. We conclude that gir ls with diabetes accumulate subcutaneous fat in certain areas rapidly during adolescence in a completely different way from healthy girls.