[Low birth weight is a risk factor for type 1 diabetes].

INTRODUCTION AND AIM

Over recent years, the increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been associated with different factors, particularly increased obesity in childhood. The aim of this study was to find out if there was any relationship between birth weight, body mass index (BMI) increase during the first two 3 years of life, and BMI at diabetes onset with age at diagnosis, in a cohort of children diagnosed with T1DM.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Data from 100 Caucasian children with T1DM of both sexes (57 boys, 43 girls) between 10 months and 16 years of age, mean age 84.45 months (SD; 52.4), were studied. We analysed the following variables: age at diagnosis, gestational age, weight and height at birth, at two years of age and at diabetes diagnosis, expressed as SD scores (SDS).

RESULTS

All children were between 38-40 weeks of gestational age. Diabetic patients have lower birth weight (-2.88 ((-0.51)-(-0.066)) and lower BMI at birth compared with healthy children -0.5 ((-0.77)-(-0.23)). Diabetic children have a significant increase in BMI during the first two years of life (4.58 versus 2.17; P<0.001). Children with the lowest BMI at birth (12.77 versus 13.06; P<0.006) are the youngest at onset of the disease. BMI at diagnosis was not related to any of the variables studied. There were no gender differences either.

CONCLUSIONS

The low BMI at birth and the later increase in the following years of life seem to be related to intrauterine environment as a risk factor for T1DM.