Clinical picture of childhood type 1 diabetes mellitus in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
OBJECTIVE
Study of the clinical presentation and laboratory data of type 1 diabetes in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.


METHODS
The medical records of all affected children during the period 1986-1997 were reviewed for the analysis of clinical and laboratory data.


RESULTS
Type 1 diabetes was diagnosed in 46 children, 27 girls and 19 boys, with a mean age at diagnosis of 9.0 yr. The mean duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis was 12.5 d. Depressed consciousness occurred in 10.8% of the patients (none was comatose) and ketoacidosis in 77%. There was no episode of increased intracranial pressure during treatment, nor was there any death. There was a correlation between the central nervous system depression and the degree of hyperglycemia, and also with the severity of acidosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Although more than three quarters of patients with type 1 diabetes had ketoacidosis on presentation, none was comatose or developed clinical cerebral edema during treatment. The presentation of type 1 diabetes in children from Saudi Arabia seems to differ from reports from developed countries.
Kulaylat
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Pediatric Unit, Al Hasa Specialty Services Division, Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organization, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. kulayatnaji@yahoo.com
Narchi
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