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 study were 107 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), who were enrolled in a Summer camp program for diabetic children in Kinki District, Japan from 1972 to 1990, and who had at least three determinations of HbA1 during the observation period. Many of the children had high mean levels of HbA1, regardless of age. The height and weight were below the standards for the respective ages in many children, indicating the retardation of growth. However, S.D. scores for height and weight and other physical indices were not related to the mean levels of HbA1. By contrast, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was related to an elevated mean level of HbA1, but that of albuminuria was not. Serum cholesterol levels were higher in children with higher mean levels of HbA1, but serum triglycerides appeared not to be related to glycemic control. The incidence of retinopathy during the observation period closely related to the degree of the mean levels of HbA1, but that of albuminuria did not.