ESPE Abstracts

Background: Secondary diabetes in children, often rising from the treatment of the primary disease. However, not enough attention has been paid. We analyze the cases of secondary diabetes in children identified from 2002 to 2010 in our hospital for the frequency and clinical features, so as to gain a better understanding of the disease.

Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the prevalence and association factors of secondary diabetes in Chinese hospitalized children.

Method: It is a case–control design, retrospective study on paediatric patients <18 years, who were hospitalized in our hospital from 2002 to 2010. Diabetes was diagnosed according to the criteria of WHO, 1999. Control cases were chosen with 1:4 ratio and matched in the primary diseases, age, gender. The risk factors of secondary diabetes were investigated with logistic analysis.

Results: Total 33 cases (aged 7.1–16.4 years, 15 boys and 18 girls) of secondary diabetes were identified among 9657 inpatients suffering the corresponding primary diseases. The total prevalence was 0.34%, the highest was 4.17% in lymphoma leukemia, then 3.70% in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, 1.67% in multiple sclerosis and < 1.0% in SLE, dermatomyositis, ALL without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, histocytosis, ITP, nephropathy and purpuric nephritis. The prevalence of secondary diabetes was lower in boys than that in girls (0.24 vs 0.53%, χ²=4.79, P=0.028). None of them had typical symptoms and diabetic ketone acidosis. Logistic regression showed that age and obesity or overweight were the risk factors for secondary diabetes (the odds ratio was 1.24 and 5.08 respectively, both P<0.05).

Conclusion: It’s indicated that the prevalence of secondary diabetes in hospitalized children was lower in China than that in western countries and differs with gender, age and various primary diseases. Secondary diabetes can be easily miss-diagnosed due to the atypical symptoms. It is necessary to monitor glucose during the whole course of the primary diseases.