Exocrine pancreas functions in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM\nWe evaluated exocrine pancreas functions using a noninvasive indicator in a case-control study conducted on children and adolescents diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus.\n\n\nPATIENTS AND METHODS\nSixty-seven patients who participated in a summer camp were enrolled in this study. Nineteen healthy children in the same age group were assigned to the control group. Fecal pancreatic elastase was assayed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Values higher than 200\xa0µg/g were considered an indication of sufficient exocrine pancreatic functioning, values between 100\xa0µg/g and 200\xa0µg/g were considered mild exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and values below 100\xa0µg/g were considered severe exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.\n\n\nRESULTS\nThe mean concentration of fecal elastase was 158.38\xa0±\xa059.67\xa0µg/g. The patients were assigned to three groups according to these values. Thirteen patients (22%) had sufficient fecal elastase levels, whereas 36 patients (62%) had mildly insufficient levels, and nine patients (16%) had severely insufficient fecal elastase concentrations. The levels of fecal elastase, amylase, lipase, and zinc were significantly different between the patients and controls (p\xa0<\xa00.001). Only the duration of diabetes was significantly different between patients with different severities of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (p\xa0=\xa00.037). Additionally, the group with severe pancreatic insufficiency had more frequent hypoglycemic attacks.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nExocrine pancreatic insufficiency may develop in children with diabetes, and hypoglycemia attacks are observed more frequently depending on the severity of pancreatic insufficiency.