Psychological care in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in a real‐world setting and associations with metabolic control

Background: International guidelines recommend psychosocial care for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Objective: To assess psychological care in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in a real-world setting and to evaluate associations with metabolic outcome. Methods: Delivery of psychological care, HbA1c, and rates of severe hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes from 199 diabetes care centers participating in the German diabetes survey (DPV) were analyzed. Results: Overall, 12 326 out of 31 861 children with type 1 diabetes were supported by short-term or continued psychological care (CPC). Children with psychological care had higher HbA1c (8.0% vs 7.7%, P<.001) and higher rates of DKA (0.032 vs 0.021 per patient-year, P<.001) compared with children without psychological care. In age-, sex-, diabetes duration-, and migratory background-matched children, HbA1c stayed stable in children supported by CPC during follow-up (HbA1c 8.5% one year before psychological care started vs 8.4% after two years, P = 1.0), whereas HbA1c was lower but increased significantly by 0.3% in children without psychological care (HbA1c 7.5% vs 7.8% after two years, P <.001). Additional HbA1c-matching showed that the change in HbA1c during follow-up was not different between the groups, but the percentage of children with severe hypoglycemia decreased from 16.3% to 10.7% in children receiving CPC compared with children without psychological care (5.5% to 5.8%, P =.009). Conclusions: In this real-world setting, psychological care was provided to children with higher HbA1c levels. CPC was associated with stable glycemic control and less frequent severe hypoglycemia during follow-up

Working Towards a Treat-to-Target Protocol in Juvenile Proliferative Lupus Nephritis - A Survey of Pediatric Rheumatologists and Nephrologists in Germany and Austria.

BackgroundTo describe treatment practices for juvenile proliferative lupus nephritis (LN) class III and IV of pediatric rheumatologists and nephrologists in Germany and Austria in preparation for a treat-to-target treatment protocol in LN.MethodsSurvey study by members of the Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology (GKJR) and the German Society for Pediatric Nephrology (GPN) on diagnostics and (concomitant) therapy of LN.ResultsFifty-eight physicians completed the survey. Overall, there was a considerable heterogeneity regarding the suggested diagnostics and management of juvenile proliferative LN. Increased urinary protein excretion, either assessed by 24 h urine collection or spot urine (protein-creatinine ratio), and reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate were specified as important parameters for indication of kidney biopsy to diagnose proliferative LN and monitoring of therapy. Corticosteroids were generally proposed for induction and maintenance therapy, most often in conjunction with either mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or cyclophosphamide (CP) as steroid-sparing immunosuppressants. MMF was clearly preferred over CP for induction therapy of LN class III, whereas CP and MMF were equally proposed for LN class IV. MMF was most often recommended for maintenance therapy in conjunction with oral corticosteroids and continued for at least 3 years and 1 year, respectively, after remission. Hydroxychloroquine was widely accepted as a concomitant measure followed by renin-angiotensin system inhibitors in cases of arterial hypertension and/or proteinuria.ConclusionThe majority of pediatric rheumatologists and nephrologists in Germany and Austria propose the use of corticosteroids, most often in combination with either MMF or CP, for treatment of proliferative LN in children. The considerable heterogeneity of responses supports the need for a treat-to-target protocol for juvenile proliferative LN between pediatric rheumatologists and nephrologists

The majority of patients with newly diagnosed juvenile idiopathic arthritis achieve a health-related quality of life that is similar to that of healthy peers: results of the German multicenter inception cohort (ICON)

Abstract Background Achieving the best possible health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for a patient is an important treatment goal in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We investigated the 36-month trajectories of HRQoL in children with JIA compared with healthy peers and identified the predictors of an unfavorable HRQoL. Methods Patients with a recent JIA diagnosis were enrolled in the German inception cohort study ICON. As a peer group, friends of patients of the same age and sex were asked to cooperate. Children were prospectively followed and regularly questioned about their HRQoL using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL). Disease activity was assessed by the clinical Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score (cJADAS-10), and the burden of the child’s chronic illness on their family was assessed by the Family Burden Questionnaire (FaBel). Linear mixed models were used to compare the HRQoL of the patients and their peers. Associations between the health status of a patient at enrollment and an unfavorable HRQoL (PedsQL total < 79.3) at their 3-year follow-up (FU) were analyzed by logistic regression. Results Data from 953 patients (median symptom duration 6 months, mean age 7.9 years) and 491 healthy peers (aged 8.4 years) were analyzed. During 3 years of FU, the disease activity and HRQoL of the patients improved significantly (cJADAS-10 from 9.8 (6.2) to 2.7 (3.6) and PedsQL total score from 71.7 (18.2) to 87.3 (13.9)). While the HRQoL of the patients varied among the several JIA categories at the time of enrollment, no significant differences were found at the 3-year FU. After 36 months, the HRQoL of the patients had largely converged with that of their healthy peers. JIA patients had a psychosocial health status comparable with their healthy peers, whereas a small significant mean difference remained in physical health (5.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.1–7.6). Up to the 36-month FU, three-quarters of JIA patients attained a favorable HRQoL (PedsQL ≥ 79.3) which was achieved by 90% of the peers. A higher family burden, higher pain level, and lower well-being at enrollment were associated with an unfavorable HRQoL. Conclusions Under current therapeutic conditions, an HRQoL corresponding with that of healthy children is a realistic treatment goal in JIA

Oral contraception in adolescents with type 1 diabetes and its association with cardiovascular risk factors : a multicenter DPV study on 24 011 patients from Germany, Austria or Luxembourg

OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic control in girls with type 1 diabetes with or without use of oral contraceptives (OC) from the multicenter "diabetes prospective follow-up" (DPV) registry. METHODS: Twenty-four thousand eleven adolescent girls (13 to < 18 years of age) from Germany, Austria or Luxembourg with type 1 diabetes from the DPV registry were included in this cross-sectional study. Multivariable regression models were applied to compare clinical characteristics (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1C ], blood pressure, serum lipids, body mass index) and lifestyle factors (smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption) between girls with or without OC use. Confounders: age, diabetes duration and migration background. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SAS 9.4. RESULTS: In girls with type 1 diabetes and OC use, clinical characteristics and lifestyle factors were less favorable compared to non-users. Differences were most pronounced for the prevalence of dyslipidemia (OC-users: 40.0% vs non-users: 29.4; P < .0001) and the number of smokers (OC-users: 25.9% vs non-users: 12.5%; P < .0001). OC use, sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle factors explained between 1 and 7% of the population variance in serum lipids and blood pressure. The use of OC explained a small additional proportion in all variables considered (<1%). CONCLUSIONS: OC use in adolescent girls with type 1 diabetes was associated with a poorer cardiovascular risk profile. Biological risk factors were partly explained by a clustering of sociodemographic and lifestyle factors with a small additional contribution of OC use. Prescription of OC should therefore be combined with a screening for cardiovascular risk factors and targeted education. © in copyright http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0

Is it possible to prevent diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis of pediatric type 1 diabetes? Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Background. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening emergency in children and adolescents with manifestation of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) and often associated with delayed diagnosis or previous diagnostic errors. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown period in Germany, less patients presented at emergency departments and private practices. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the DKA risk in children and adolescents with DM1 manifestation during the COVID-19 lockdown and associated risk factors. Material and methods. The frequency of DKA at DM1 onset in patients <18 years between 13 March and 13 May 2020 in pediatric diabetes centers was analyzed. The centers also documented their assessment, if the presentation was delayed or the diagnosis was not made on the first medical consultation. In order to analyze the influence of the risk factors on the frequency of DKA, the data from 2020 were compared with the same periods in 2018 and 2019 using multivariable linear and logistic regression. Results. The data of 532 patients from 216 diabetes centers showed that the risk for DKA increased by 84.7% and the risk for severe DKA increased by 45.3% compared to the years 2018/2019. Children <6 years had the highest risk with an 141.6% increase for DKA and 97.0% for severe DKA compared to the previous years. Migration background was a risk factor independent of COVID-19. Of the patients 31% had either a delayed presentation or a missed diagnosis. Conclusion. During the COVID-19 lockdown the frequency of DKA and severe DKA at DM1 onset was significantly increased for children and adolescents in Germany. Age <6 years, migration background and delayed diagnosis were the main risk factors

Impact of Maternal Country of Birth on Type-1-Diabetes Therapy and Outcome in 27,643 Children and Adolescents from the DPV Registry

Scheuing N, Wiegand S, Baechle C, et al. Impact of Maternal Country of Birth on Type-1-Diabetes Therapy and Outcome in 27,643 Children and Adolescents from the DPV Registry. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8): e0135178.Objective To study the impact of maternal country of birth on type-1-diabetes (T1D) therapy and outcome. Study Design and Methods 27,643 T1D patients aged <= 20 years with documented maternal country of birth from the multicenter German/Austrian diabetes patient registry (DPV) were analyzed. Patients were categorized based on their mother's origin: Germany/Austria (reference), Turkey, Southern Europe, and Eastern Europe. To compare BMI standard deviation score (BMI-SDS), diabetes therapy and outcome between groups, multivariable regression was applied with adjustments for age, sex and duration of diabetes. Based on observed marginal frequencies, adjusted estimates were calculated. Linear regression was used for continuous data, logistic regression for binary data and Poisson regression for count data. All statistical analyses were performed using SAS 9.4. Significance was set at a two-tailed p<0.05. Results 83.3% of patients were offspring of native mothers. A Turkish, Southern or Eastern European background was documented in 2.4%, 1.7% and 4.3% of individuals. After demographic adjustment, patients with migration background had a higher mean BMI-SDS (Turkey, Southern Europe or Eastern Europe vs. Germany/Austria: 0.58 +/- 0.03, 0.40 +/- 0.04, or 0.37 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.31 +/- 0.01; +/- SE) and a lower use of insulin pumps (26.8%, 27.9%, or 32.6% vs. 37.9%) compared to offspring of native mothers. Mean HbA1c was worst in individuals of Turkish mothers (Turkey vs. Germany/Austria: 69.7 +/- 0.7 vs. 66.6 +/- 0.1 mmol/mol; +/- SE). Patients of Eastern European descent had an increased rate of severe hypoglycemia (22.0 +/- 0.13 vs. 16.13 +/- 0.02 events per 100 patient-years) and ketoacidosis was more prevalent in offspring of Turkish or Southern European mothers (7.50 +/- 0.10, or 7.13 +/- 0.11 vs. 6.54 +/- 0.02 events per 100 patient-years). Patients of Turkish descent were more often hospitalized (57.2 +/- 2.7 vs. 48.5 +/- 0.4 per 100 patient-years). All differences were significant. Conclusion The differences in diabetes therapy and outcome among patients with distinct migration background suggest that specific challenges have to be considered in clinical care

Oral contraception in adolescents with type 1 diabetes and its association with cardiovascular risk factors. A multicenter DPV study on 24 011 patients from Germany, Austria or Luxembourg

Objective: To investigate differences in cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic control in girls with type 1 diabetes with or without use of oral contraceptives (OC) from the multicenter diabetes prospective follow-up (DPV) registry. Methods: Twenty-four thousand eleven adolescent girls (13 to < 18 years of age) from Germany, Austria or Luxembourg with type 1 diabetes from the DPV registry were included in this cross-sectional study. Multivariable regression models were applied to compare clinical characteristics (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1(C)], blood pressure, serum lipids, body mass index) and lifestyle factors (smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption) between girls with or without OC use. Confounders: age, diabetes duration and migration background. Statistical analysis: SAS 9.4. Results: In girls with type 1 diabetes and OC use, clinical characteristics and lifestyle factors were less favorable compared to non-users. Differences were most pronounced for the prevalence of dyslipidemia (OC-users: 40.0% vs non-users: 29.4; P <.0001) and the number of smokers (OC-users: 25.9% vs non-users: 12.5%; P <.0001). OC use, sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle factors explained between 1 and 7% of the population variance in serum lipids and blood pressure. The use of OC explained a small additional proportion in all variables considered (<1%). Conclusions: OC use in adolescent girls with type 1 diabetes was associated with a poorer cardiovascular risk profile. Biological risk factors were partly explained by a clustering of sociodemographic and lifestyle factors with a small additional contribution of OC use. Prescription of OC should therefore be combined with a screening for cardiovascular risk factors and targeted education