Rates of diabetes mellitus-related complications in a contemporary adolescent cohort.

BACKGROUND

Ten years after the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial there is a paucity of data as to what are current rates of diabetes-related complications in adolescence.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the incidence of diabetes-related complications in a contemporary cohort of adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional survey.

PATIENTS: Adolescents aged >10 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus for >5 years from the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne Diabetes Clinic.

RESULTS

382 patients were studied (191 male). The mean HbA1c for males was 8.72% and for females was 8.80%. The rates of hypothyroidism and hypercholesterolaemia were 1.5% and 22% respectively. Twenty-five patients (8%) had intermittent microalbuminuria and six (2%) had persistent microalbuminuria. Only one patient had macroalbuminuria (0.3%). Only two patients (0.7%) with mild non-were diagnosed proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Coeliac disease was diagnosed in 6% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In this representative and contemporary cohort of diabetic adolescents the incidence of microvascular diabetes-related complications is quite low.