Alcohol and cigarette use among adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

In this study, we compare the prevalence of alcohol and cigarette use among Polish adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) (n = 209), aged 15-18 years, with that of a large cohort of their healthy peers, using standardized questionnaire used in the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs (ESPAD). The lifetime, previous year, and past 30-day prevalence of alcohol consumption was high among adolescents with T1DM but lower than in the controls (82.8 vs 92.0%, 71.7 vs 85.6%, and 47.5 vs 69.7%, respectively, p < 10-5). The lifetime and 30-day prevalence of cigarette use was also lower among patients than the controls (54.6 vs 65.5%, p = 0.001 and 27.3 vs 35.9%, p = 0.012, respectively). Patients who admitted smoking exhibited worse metabolic control than non-smokers (p < 0.0001) and had a higher chance of developing diabetic ketoacidosis. The incidence of severe hypoglycemia was higher among those who reported getting drunk in the previous 30 days (p = 0.04) and lifetime smoking (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Although alcohol and cigarette consumption is lower than in controls, it is common among teenagers with type 1 diabetes, effecting metabolic control and causing the risk of acute diabetes complications. Better prevention strategies should be implemented in this group of patients in their early teen years. What is Known: • Substance use remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among teenagers with type 1 diabetes. • Current medical literature contains inconsistent data on the prevalence of alcohol and cigarette use among adolescents with type 1 diabetes, mostly due to methodological problems with conducting such surveys. What is New: • Methodological approach: we used a validated questionnaire from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) and compared the results to a large national control group of 12,114 healthy students who took part in ESPAD in 2011.

Breaking the Taboo: Illicit Drug Use among Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of illicit drug use in a group of Polish adolescents with type 1 diabetes (DM1) in comparison with a national cohort of their healthy peers. METHODS: Two hundred and nine adolescents with DM1, aged 15-18 years, were studied in 2013 with an anonymous questionnaire prepared for the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). The control group was a representative sample of 12114 students at the same age who took part in ESPAD in 2011. Metabolic control was regarded as good if self-reported HbA1c was <8% or poor if HbA1c was ≥8%. RESULTS: Lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use was lower among adolescents with DM1 than in the control group [58 (28%) versus 5524 (46%), p = 10(-5)]. Cannabis preparations were the most frequently used substances [38 (18.3%) versus 3976 (33.1%), p = 10(-5)], followed by tranquilizers, sedatives, and amphetamine. Lifetime and last 12-month use of cannabis were associated with poorer glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 8%), p < 0.01 and 0.02, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with DM1 report using illicit drugs to a lesser extent than their healthy peers. The use of cannabis is associated with a poorer metabolic control in teens with DM1.