Central motor conduction time in children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).

Measurement of central motor conduction time (CMCT) after percutaneous magnetic stimulation of the brain is an electrophysiological method that may discover subclinical impairment of central nervous system (CNS). In order to detect an impairment of CNS, we measured CMCT right (R) and left (L) after percutaneous stimulation of the brain in 34 patients affected by insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) (16 males and 18 females), aged 16.4 +/- 4.1 years (7.3-23.2 years), with duration of disease 7.6 +/- 4.9 years (7/12-16 years), and HbA1c annual mean 7.41 +/- 1.1% (n.v. 5.14 +/- 0.84%). Twenty-three sex- and age-matched healthy subjects served as controls. In our IDDM patients we observed a delay of CMCT R (P < 0.0005) and L (P < 0.0005) as compared to controls. No correlation was found between CMCT (R and L) and chronologic age, duration of disease, peroneal motor nerve conduction velocity. No association was observed between CMCT (R and L) and HLA antigens. On the basis of IDDM duration, patients were divided into 2 groups (G): G I (9 pts) with IDDM < 2 years and G II (25 pts) with IDDM > 5 years, 12 of them with precocious signs of one or more microangiopathic complications. No difference in CMCT (R and L) was observed between the 2 groups and between G I and controls; G II patients had a longer delay of CMCT R (P < 0.0001) and L (P < 0.0001) than controls. In G II patients, a positive correlation between CMCT R and HbA1c of the 5 years before the test (P < 0.025) was also observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anticardiolipin antibodies in children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

UNLABELLED: Anticardiolipin antibodies were determined in 29 diabetic children and adolescents, aged 3.9-26.8 years, with disease duration from 1 month to 19 years. Anti-islet cell antibodies (ICA-IgG and CF-ICA), anti-insulin antibodies (IAA), antithyroid antibodies and non organ-specific (NOSA) antibodies were also determined. Patients were grouped according to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) duration: group I (n = 11) < 6 months, and group II (n = 18) > 5 years. Eleven of group II patients showed precocious signs of micro-angiopathic complications. Forty-two age- and sex-matched healthy subjects served as controls. IgG and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies were evaluated by ELISA and their results expressed as arbitrary units (AU). IgG anticardiolipin antibodies were found in 7 patients (24%), while IgM anticardiolipin antibodies were absent in all. IgG anticardiolipin antibodies were more frequent in IDDM patients than in controls (P < 0.005) and group I (in 6 out of 11 patients; 54.5%) than in group II (in 1 out of 18 patients; 5.5%) (P < 0.025). In five out of six group I patients with IgG anticardiolipin antibodies, ICA-IgG and/or CF-ICA were also found. No correlation was observed between anticardiolipin and other auto-antibodies, micro-angiopathic complications, and HLA typing. CONCLUSION: Anticardiolipin antibodies may reflect an abnormal immunological response in the early stage of diabetes mellitus and represent a transient auto-immune phenomenon.

Final height attainment in girls and boys with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

We compared final height to height at diagnosis (expressed as a standard deviation score, SDS), predicted adult height (according to the Bayley and Pinneau method) and target genetic height (expressed as mean parental height in cm, +6.5 for males and -6.5 for females) in 37 patients (15 males, 22 females) with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), aged 20.6 +/- 3.3 years (16.6-27), with 11.8 +/- 3.7 years (5.2-19.2) mean duration of disease. In the 22 females, final height (162.4 +/- 5.7 cm; range, 150-174 cm) was higher than predicted (161.5 +/- 7.8 cm; range, 146-176.2 cm) and target genetic height (159.7 +/- 3.8 cm; range, 152.8-167.3 cm), although not significantly. Female patients showed a positive correlation between final height and both predicted (P < 0.05) and target genetic height (P < 0.005). No difference was observed in final height between patients diagnosed in the prepubertal or pubertal phase (162.2 +/- 4.6 cm vs. 163.4 +/- 6.2 cm; P-value n.s.). In the 15 males, final height (173.4 +/- 4.4 cm; range, 166.5-181 cm), lower than predicted (175.4 +/- 4.9 cm; range, 166-183 cm), was higher than target genetic height (169.9 +/- 4.8 cm; range, 162.4-177 cm) (P < 0.05). Male patients showed a positive correlation between final height and target genetic height (P < 0.05). No difference was found in final height between patients diagnosed in the prepubertal or pubertal phase (173.6 +/- 3.5 cm vs. 172.7 +/- 5.5 cm; P-value n.s.).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)