Hospital admission rates of diabetic children.

In 1973 a children's diabetic clinic was established in Oxford. An analysis has been made of the effects this has had on the pattern of emergency admissions classified as severe hyperglycaemia (A), moderate hyperglycaemia (B) and hypoglycaemia (C). A comparison of the admission rate per "diabetic year" over the four years before and the three years after the children's clinic was established showed a significant decrease in admission rate for all hyperglycaemic admissions (p less than 0.05). This decrease was shown to be mainly due to a reduction in admissions with severe hyperglycaemia (A) (p less than 0.01), there being no significant change in admission rate for moderate hyperglycaemia (B). There was no significant change in admission rate for hypoglycaemia (C).