Puberty and Growth Parameters of Iraqi Type 1 Diabetic Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Diabetes and other chronic diseases can affect linear growth and pubertal development. Poor glucose control, long duration, and younger age at onset negatively affect growth and pubertal development. Objectives: This study was designed to describe height, body mass index, and sexual maturation of Iraqi type 1 diabetic adolescents, and their relation to the age at diagnosis, duration of disease, and insulin dose. Materials and Methods: Seventy type 1 diabetic patients were involved in this cross-sectional study. Their ages ranged between 10 and 18 years with diabetes for more than 2 years. Height, weight, body mass index, and pubertal stage were assessed. Then they were correlated with insulin dose, age at diagnosis, and duration of diabetes. Results: There was no significant difference between male and female mean height Z score, whereas the mean body mass index Z score was significantly higher for females than for males. Most of the patients had normal height and body mass index, and only 14.3% and 4.3% were short and underweight, respectively, and there was a significant inverse correlation between duration of diabetes and height SD. Twenty-seven females had menarche. Its age ranged from 10 to 16 years, with a mean of 13.5 ± 1.44 years. Three males and three females (8.6%) had delayed puberty, and no patient had precocious, with a significant positive correlation between pubertal development and height SD. Conclusion: Although there is an improvement in growth parameters for Iraqi diabetic children, they are still abnormal, especially with long diabetes duration.