title: [Clinical and laboratory characteristics at onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children].
abstract: The aim was to describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of diabetes mellitus type 1 at its onset. The hospital records at Tuzla pediatric hospital were analysed of 109 children aged 0-14 who presented with diabetes between 1990 and 2005. The data base was divided into three age groups: 0-4.9, 5-9.9 and 10-14 years - referred to hereafter as the younger, middle and older age groups. We found the duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis to be significantly shortest in the younger age group. Polyuria, polydipsia and weight loss were the main presenting symptoms in all age groups. The median blood glucose value was 26.0 mmol/L and the pH value was 7.30. The incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis of 48.0% and the median HbA 1c value of 10.7% at diagnosis indicate that disease was not recognised long before diagnosis. Since our desire is to avoid the development of ketoacidosis, it is necessary to educate people who are in permanent contact with children about the symptoms of diabetes type 1. This could to a certain degree prevent the presentation of the life-threatening condition of diabetic ketoacidosis, if the occurrence of diabetes cannot be prevented.
authors.affiliation: Klinika za djecije bolesti, Univerzitetski klinicki centar Tuzla, Bosnia i Hercegovina. husref.tahirovic@untz.ba
authors.forename: Husref
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tahirović
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toromanović
authors.forename: Azra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feukić
authors.forename: Dzenana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ostrvica
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male