Changes from 1986 to 2018 in the prevalence of obesity and overweight, metabolic control and treatment in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus in a Mediterranean area of Southeast Spain.

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, a global increase in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has been observed in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional, population study examined three groups (1986, 2007, and 2018) of children and adolescents aged < 16 years diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Overweight and obesity were defined according to the World Health Organization recommendations. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in diabetic children and adolescents was 30.2% (95% CI: 23.1-38.3). There was a significant increase from 1986 to 2007 (11.9% to 41.7%, p = 0.002) and from 1986 to 2018 (11.9% to 34.8%, p = 0.012), but no significant differences were found from 2007 to 2018 (41.7% to 34.8%, p = 0.492). The age at diagnosis was lower in the group with excess body mass (p = 0.037). No significant differences were observed in age (p = 0.690), duration of diabetes (p = 0.163), distribution according to sex (p = 0.452), metabolic control (HbA1c, p = 0.909), or insulin units kg/day (p = 0.566), between diabetic patients with overweight or obesity and those with normal weight. From 2007 to 2018, the use of insulin analogs (p = 0.009) and a higher number of insulin doses (p = 0.007) increased significantly, with no increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in diabetic children and adolescents increased in the 1990s and the beginning of the twenty-first century, with stabilization in the last decade. Metabolic control and DM1 treatment showed no association with this trend.

Multivariate Analysis of Thyrotropin in Preterm Newborns Based on Adequacy of Weight for Gestational Age.

BACKGROUND: Different and conflicting data have been published concerning thyrotropin (TSH) levels among small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) newborns. The hypothesis of this study was that SGA preterm infants have higher TSH levels than those who are not underweight do. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed the TSH levels of all preterm newborns with a negative congenital hypothyroidism screening result (TSH <7.5 µIU/mL). Secondary variables were sex, birth weight (SGA, AGA), days of life at blood extraction, maternal origin, gestational age, and being a twin or not. Two multiple linear regression models were constructed comparing TSH levels in SGA and AGA or the z-score for birth weight and the remaining variables. RESULTS: A sample including 5819 preterm infants was obtained: 53.8% male, 23.3% twins, and 3.3% SGA. TSH concentrations were 2.16 ± 2.0 µIU/mL for the SGA infants and 1.80 ± 1.5 µIU/mL for the AGA infants (p = 0.012), with a negative correlation (p < 0.001) between TSH levels and the z-score for the weight of the newborn. The multivariate analysis comparing TSH levels between SGA and AGA gave the following: SGA (B = 0.46, p < 0.001), Latin American mother (B = -0.16, p = 0.029), days of life at blood extraction (B = -0.26, p < 0.001), and gestational age ≤28 weeks (B = -0.56, p < 0.001). Using the z-score for the weight, the associations were: maternal origin North Africa (B = 0.19, p = 0.042), days of life at blood extraction (B = -0.27, p < 0.001), gestational age ≤28 weeks (B = -0.55, p < 0.001), and z-score for weight (B = -0.12, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our multivariate analysis suggests that TSH concentrations are higher in SGA infants than they are in AGA infants, and this should be taken into account when establishing a reference interval appropriate for this population. The clinical relevance remains unknown, but lines of research are opened that may allow a better understanding of the long-term morbidities in these newborns.