Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and predictors of metabolic risk in Indian children, adolescents and youth with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION

Children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at the same risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MS) as the general population. Several environmental factors such as lifestyle, exogenous insulin therapy (over-insulinization) and genetic/familial factors are thought to underlie the phenotype of 'double diabetes' (co-existence of MS components in patients with T1D).

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of overweight/obesity and MS and to identify its predictors in Indian children, adolescents and young adults with T1D.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 355 children and youth aged 6-23 years with T1D. Demographic data were obtained from patients using questionnaires. Anthropometry, blood pressure, sexual maturity rating, biochemical measurements and body composition measurements were performed using standard protocols. Insulin resistance (IR) was calculated using estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) and MS was diagnosed using the international diabetes federation (IDF) consensus definition 2017.

RESULTS

The prevalence of overweight/obesity and MS in our study was 15.5% and 4.5%, respectively. Abnormal HDL-cholesterol was the most common component of MS (55.6%) among children with T1D. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and eGDR were identified as significant predictors of the likelihood of MS.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a similar prevalence of MS in children with T1D as compared to other healthy children, which emphasises the need for monitoring of eGDR to determine IR in these children.