Kids With Type 1 Diabetes and Serious Complication
Diabetic ketoacidosis can prove serious; researchers point to lack of insurance leading to late diagnosis
TUESDAY, April 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- A growing number of American children and teens with type 1 diabetes are experiencing a life-threatening complication at the time of their diagnosis, a new study finds.
Researchers say a lack of insurance may mean some children are getting diagnosed with type 1 late in its development, when serious complications can arise.
The complication is called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which involves dangerously high blood sugar and substances in the blood called ketones. Patients with the condition can suffer long-term health damage.
"DKA is characterized by hyperglycemia [elevated blood sugar levels] and ketonemia [elevated acid ketones], that when not buffered by the body will turn the blood acidic," explained one expert, Dr. Patricia Vuguin, a pediatric endocrinologist at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
"Usual symptoms are vomiting, excessive thirst and urine production, as well as abdominal pain that may be severe," added Vuguin, who was not involved in the new study. "Severe DKA may lead to swelling of the brain tissue also known as cerebral edema, which may cause headache, coma, and can lead to death."
In the new study, a team led by Dr. Arleta Rewers, from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, looked at the medical records of more than 3,400 patients younger than 18 in Colorado who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes between 1998 and 2012.
They found that 39 percent of the children had diabetic ketoacidosis at the time of their diagnosis.
What's more, there was a 55 percent increase in the rate of patients with the complication at the time of diagnosis during the study period -- from 30 percent in 1998 to 46 percent in 2012, the study found.
The only patient characteristic that changed over the study period was insurance, with those covered by public insurance rising from about 17 percent in 2007 to nearly 38 percent in 2012. The researchers also found that younger and black patients were more likely to have diabetic ketoacidosis, while having private insurance and a history of a close relative with type 1 diabetes was associated with a lower risk.