This site is intended for healthcare professionals only

Asthma and type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents

Diabetes Care for Children & Young People – March newsletter

An observational study into the impact of asthma and its treatment on young people with type 1 diabetes produces some interesting findings.

An investigation into the impact of asthma and its pharmacological treatment in young patients with type 1 diabetes has found that young patients with both conditions require higher insulin doses, although there is no major influence on metabolic control overall.
 
Findings on the prevalence of asthma and type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents have been conflicting. To establish the prevalence of concomitant asthma in young people with type 1 diabetes in Germany and Austria, and its influence on their metabolic control, investigators conducted a prospective observational cohort study.
 
Data from 51,926 individuals under 20 years on the German/Austrian DPC registry was searched to identify those with the diagnoses of both conditions and the asthma medication they used. 1755 (3.4%) of the cohort fulfilled the inclusion requirements.
 
After adjustment for variables, individuals with both conditions were found to require slightly higher insulin doses than those with only type 1 diabetes (0.88 vs 0.84 units/kg; P<0.01). The former group were more often males (61% vs 52%), were older and had longer duration of diabetes.
 
They also had a lower height standard deviation score (SDS; −0.002 vs 0.085; P<0.01), higher BMI-SDS (0.31 vs 0.28; P=0.04) and experienced more severe hypoglycaemia (4.5 vs 3.2 events/100 patient years; P<0.01).
 
There was no overall difference between the two groups in metabolic control assessed by HbA1c, although measurements in the sympathomimetic treatment sub-group were significantly higher than those using inhaled corticosteroids or leukotriene modifiers. The authors suggest that the increased insulin dose in those with asthma might be due to slightly higher insulin resistance, induced by inflammation and/or corticosteroid use.
 
In contrast to a previous US study, an almost equal prevalence of asthma in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes compared to the general population was observed.
 
To read the original article, click here (log in or purchase required).

Related content
Expert panel report: The role of topical oxygen therapy in the management of diabetic foot ulcers
Capability Framework For Integrated Diabetic Lower Limb Care: A User’s Guide
Advances in glucose monitoring technology are transforming the lives of patients with type 1 diabetes
;
Free for all UK & Ireland healthcare professionals

Sign up to all DiabetesontheNet journals

 

By clicking ‘Subscribe’, you are agreeing that DiabetesontheNet.com are able to email you periodic newsletters. You may unsubscribe from these at any time. Your info is safe with us and we will never sell or trade your details. For information please review our Privacy Policy.

Are you a healthcare professional? This website is for healthcare professionals only. To continue, please confirm that you are a healthcare professional below.

We use cookies responsibly to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your browser settings, we’ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on this website. Read about how we use cookies.