title: Type A behavior pattern and blood glucose control in diabetic children.
abstract: We studied the relationship between presence of Type A behavior pattern and glycemic response to stress in children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Twelve male (six Type A and six Type B) and nine female (four Type A and five Type B) insulin-dependent diabetic patients between the ages of 8 and 16 years received a standard meal and blood glucose values were assessed two hours later. All subjects then played a competitive videogame for 10 minutes following which blood glucose was assessed again. Preprandial and postprandial blood glucose values did not differ between the groups. However, only Type A subjects showed a hyperglycemic response to the videogame stress. Type A subjects also demonstrated significantly higher glycohemoglobin values. In order to assure that this effect was due to a differential response to stress and not simply a difference in metabolic response to a meal, a second study was conducted in which blood glucose values were assessed at one, two and three hours following a standard meal. No significant differences in postprandial blood glucose values were observed between Type A and Type B subjects. These data support previous research which has suggested that some but not all patients with IDDM show a hyperglycemic response to stress.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014434:Type A Personality
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose