Sudden unexpected death in childhood due to unsuspected diabetes mellitus.
We report the case of an otherwise healthy 11-year-old girl who died suddenly of previously undiagnosed diabetes mellitus type I, following a 2-day minor upper respiratory infection. Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a rare cause of sudden death of apparently healthy children. This report demonstrates a recommended diagnostic pathway for IDDM from the substantiation of vesicular fatty liver to specific pancreatic histological and histochemical changes.
Rozin
L
L
Office of the Coroner of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Perper
J A
JA
Jaffe
R
R
Drash
A
A
D002648:Child; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000473:pathology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000473:pathology*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000473:pathology; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010179:Pancreas / Q000473:pathology