[Clinical and biological data affecting insulin-dependent diabetes in French children at the time of its diagnosis].

In order to characterize Type I diabetes at its clinical onset in French children, we studied HLA-DR alleles, beta-cell function and autoantibodies to islet-cell antigens and insulin in 115 patients aged 1.8-17 years. Beta-cell function was markedly impaired, but with an unexpectedly wide range of individual variations. These variations showed no correlation with HLA alleles or circulating autoantibodies, as opposed to observations made by others. Age, however, had a clear influence on the degree of impairment of residual insulin secretion, the younger children having the more deteriorated beta-cell secretory capacity conditioning the severity of clinical manifestations (weight loss, ketonuria, ketoacidosis) and initial hyperglycemia.