Daytime liver glycogen accumulation, measured by 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy, in young children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus.
OBJECTIVE
To examine daytime liver glycogen accumulation in prepubertal children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (Type 1 DM) compared with non-diabetic controls.


METHODS
Liver glycogen content was ascertained in the fasting (morning) and fed (afternoon) state using 13C magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy. Data were analysed from six children with Type 1 DM (median (range) age 8.7 (6.3-12.2) years), who were all on conventional insulin regimens, and six healthy controls (age 8.9 (7-10.2) years).


RESULTS
Children with diabetes tended to have lower fasting glycogen values than controls but this did not reach statistical significance (median (range) 154 (70-177) vs. 178 (120-203) mM glycosyl units, Type 1 DM vs. controls respectively; P = 0.06). Glycogen increased in all children with diabetes during the day and concentrations were similar to those in controls by the afternoon (175 (157-299) vs. 172 (136-238) mM glycosyl units; P = 0.7).


CONCLUSIONS
The ability of young children with Type 1 DM to replace liver glycogen depleted after an overnight fast was at least as good as that in control subjects, suggesting that impaired glycogen storage is not a contributory factor in nocturnal hypoglycaemia.
Matyka
K
K
University Department of Paediatrics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Dixon
R M
RM
Mohn
A
A
Rajagopalan
B
B
Shmueli
E
E
Styles
P
P
Dunger
D B
DB
D000204:Activity Cycles; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008112:Liver Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D019518:Postprandial Period; D012016:Reference Values
D008112:Liver Glycogen