Giulio Maltoni

Prevalence of Celiac Disease in Children With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Increased in the Mid-1990s: An 18-year Longitudinal Study Based on Anti-endomysial Antibodies

Between 1987 and 2004, 331 consecutive children, all newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus in our pediatric clinic, underwent repeated serological screening for celiac disease (CD) by means of anti-endomysial antibodies, measured prospectively between 1994 and 2004, and retrospectively, using frozen banked serum, between 1987 and 1993. There were 22 cases (6.6%) of biopsy-proven CD among the 331 diabetic children. The prevalence of CD was significantly (P = 0.015) higher after 1994 (10.6%) than before 1994 (3.3%). The rapid change in the risk of CD among Italian diabetic children that occurred in the mid-1990s could be related to changes in environmental factors, namely, eating habits and viral infections.

Quality of life, psychological adjustment and metabolic control in youths with type 1 diabetes: a study with self- and parent-report questionnaires.

Objective:  To evaluate self and parent reports on quality of life (QoL) and psychological adjustment of youths with type 1 diabetes, in comparison to a general paediatric population, and identify relationships between disease duration, metabolic control and psychological parameters.

High Rate of Regression From Micro-Macroalbuminuria to Normoalbuminuria in Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Treated or Not With Enalapril The influence of HDL cholesterol

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the frequency of normalization, the persistence of remission, and the impact on normalization of glycemic control and lipid profile, we analyzed data from a retrospective observational cohort study of type 1 diabetic children and adolescents with abnormal urinary albumin excretion (UAE). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS All diabetic children and adolescents (n = 41) who had persistent abnormal UAE in the period of 1984 to 2008 and followed up until 2009 (follow-up duration = 13.1 ± 6.2 years) were included in the study. Nine patients progressed to macroalbuminuria; 24 patients were administered ACE inhibitor treatment. RESULTS The cumulative prevalence of abnormal UAE was 9%. During follow-up, 14 of 17 untreated and 19 of 24 treated patients reverted to normoalbuminuria. In the remission group compared with the nonremission group, A1C levels during follow-up decreased (7.5 ± 1.0 vs. 9.4 ± 1.2%, P < 0.0001) and serum HDL cholesterol increased (52.7 ± 11.3 vs. 42.7 ± 8.6 mg/dL, P < 0.05). The micro-macroalbuminuric patients had lower HDL cholesterol (51.0 ± 11.4 vs. 62.4 ± 13.6 mg/dL, P < 0.0001) than 134 normoalbuminuric diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS Microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria were not permanent in most of our diabetic children and adolescents. If abnormal UAE values are high and persist for >1 year, only long-lasting treatment with ACE inhibitors seems able to induce persistent remission, especially when associated with good metabolic control and high HDL cholesterol levels.

Bullying and victimization in overweight and obese outpatient children and adolescents: an Italian multicentric study

Objective Being overweight or obese is one of the most common reasons that children and adolescents are teased at school. We carried out a study in order to investigate: i) the relation between weight status and school bullying and ii) the relation between weight status categories and types of victimization and bullying in an outpatient sample of Italian children and adolescents with different degrees of overweight from minimal overweight up to severe obesity. Participants/Methods Nine-hundred-forty-seven outpatient children and adolescents (age range 6.0–14.0 years) were recruited in 14 hospitals distributed over the country of Italy. The participants were classified as normal-weight (N = 129), overweight (N = 126), moderately obese (N = 568), and severely obese (N = 124). The nature and extent of verbal, physical and relational bullying and victimization were assessed with an adapted version of the revised Olweus bully-victim questionnaire. Each participant was coded as bully, victim, bully-victim, or not involved. Results Normal-weight and overweight participants were less involved in bullying than obese participants; severely obese males were more involved in the double role of bully and victim. Severely obese children and adolescents suffered not only from verbal victimization but also from physical victimization and exclusion from group activities. Weight status categories were not directly related to bullying behaviour; however severely obese males perpetrated more bullying behaviour compared to severely obese females. Conclusions Obesity and bullying among children and adolescents are of ongoing concern worldwide and may be closely related. Common strategies of intervention are needed to cope with these two social health challenges.

Safety of closed-loop therapy during reduction or omission of meal boluses in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: a randomized clinical trial

We evaluated the safety and efficacy of closed‐loop therapy with meal announcement during reduction and omission of meal insulin boluses in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

A Multicenter Retrospective Survey regarding Diabetic Ketoacidosis Management in Italian Children with Type 1 Diabetes

We conducted a retrospective survey in pediatric centers belonging to the Italian Society for Pediatric Diabetology and Endocrinology. The following data were collected for all new-onset diabetes patients aged 0–18 years: DKA (pH < 7.30), severe DKA (pH < 7.1), DKA in preschool children, DKA treatment according to ISPAD protocol, type of rehydrating solution used, bicarbonates use, and amount of insulin infused. Records (n = 2453) of children with newly diagnosed diabetes were collected from 68/77 centers (87%), 39 of which are tertiary referral centers, the majority of whom (n = 1536, 89.4%) were diagnosed in the tertiary referral centers. DKA was observed in 38.5% and severe DKA in 10.3%. Considering preschool children, DKA was observed in 72%, and severe DKA in 16.7%. Cerebral edema following DKA treatment was observed in 5 (0.5%). DKA treatment according to ISPAD guidelines was adopted in 68% of the centers. In the first 2 hours, rehydration was started with normal saline in all centers, but with different amount. Bicarbonate was quite never been used. Insulin was infused starting from third hour at the rate of 0.05–0.1 U/kg/h in 72% of centers. Despite prevention campaign, DKA is still observed in Italian children at onset, with significant variability in DKA treatment, underlying the need to share guidelines among centers.

Comparison Between Sensor-Augmented Insulin Therapy with Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion or Multiple Daily Injections in Everyday Life: 3-Day Analysis of Glucose Patterns and Sensor Accuracy in Children

BACKGROUND Sensor-augmented continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy is superior to CSII therapy alone, but little is known on the effectiveness of sensor-augmented multiple daily injections (MDI) therapy. METHODS We compared during everyday life mean glucose control and several variability indexes recorded for 3 days by a real-time glucose sensor (Medtronic, Northridge, CA) in two groups of children treated with either CSII or MDI. Fifty-five consecutive subjects were examined: 17 receiving CSII and 38 receiving MDI basal-bolus therapy (age range, 7-22 years). All subjects wore the sensor for 4 days, and 3 days were used for statistical analysis. Mean glucose and SD, coefficient of variation (CV), mean amplitude of glucose excursion (MAGE), mean of daily differences (MODD), continuous overall net glycemic action (CONGA) at 2 and 4 h, blood glucose (BG) rate, area under the curve (AUC) above 180 mg/dL and below 70 mg/dL, Low BG Index (LBGI), and High BG Index (HBGI) were calculated. RESULTS Patients receiving CSII administered more daily boluses than patients receiving MDI (5.2±1.5 vs. 3.2±0.3, respectively; P=0.001). Mean glucose was lower in the CSII group. AUC above 180 mg/dL and HBGI were higher in the MDI group. CV, CONGA at 2 h, CONGA at 2 h during the day, and HBGI were worse in the MDI group, whereas MODD, LBGI, BG rate, and MAGE were similar. A positive correlation (r=0.95; P<0.05) was found between the paired sensor-meter values. For the glucose values <70 mg/dL, sensitivity was 40%, and specificity was 99%. CONCLUSIONS In our pediatric patients during everyday life sensor-augmented CSII therapy seemed more effective than sensor-augmented MDI therapy, in terms both of glucose mean values and of intraday variability. Mild hypoglycemic episodes and indexes of low BG values were similar in the two groups, although the latter results may be inaccurate because of low sensor sensitivity at low glucose value.

Severe hypoglycemic episodes: A persistent threat for children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus and their families

Background: As lowering glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels is still the main goal of insulin treatment, severe hypoglycemia (SH) remains a common experience in children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1 DM) and their families. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the incidence and the clinical features of SH episodes in our Centre in the last 20 yr. Subjects and Methods: We analyzed SH incidence in 269 patients (pts) diagnosed from 1990 to 2010 (total follow-up 2212.9 pts/yr). Inclusion criteria were at least 3 visits/yr and 1-yr follow-up. SH episode was defined as any condition of low blood glucose requiring third-party assistance. Results: 50.2% of patients experienced at least 1 SH episode for a total of 345 episodes. Whole incidence was 15.6/100 pts/yr, slightly different between first and second decade (12.6 vs 16.5, p=0.047). HbA1c at the time of SH was lower in the non-basal bolus group (7.4±1.3 vs 8.2±1.4; p=0.0001) and worsened 3 months later (p=0.0001). Impaired awareness was the main or only symptom in 43.5%. SH occurred at night in 32% of patients; they were significantly younger than those with SH at other times. Five SH episodes or more occurred in 8.1% of patients who presented a lower HbA1c, a younger age and shorter disease duration than the other patients. HbA1c at first SH was negatively correlated with number of SH (r=−0.20; p=0.05). Conclusions: Despite the advent of new insulin regimens, we confirm that SH still represents a relevant risk and a current threat for patients with T1DM and their families.

Monogenic Diabetes Accounts for 6.3% of Cases Referred to 15 Italian Pediatric Diabetes Centers During 2007 to 2012

Context An etiologic diagnosis of diabetes can affect the therapeutic strategy and prognosis of chronic complications. Objective The aim of the present study was to establish the relative percentage of different diabetes subtypes in patients attending Italian pediatric diabetes centers and the influence of an etiologic diagnosis on therapy. Design, Setting, and Patients This was a retrospective study. The clinical records of 3781 consecutive patients (age, 0 to 18 years) referred to 15 pediatric diabetes clinics with a diagnosis of diabetes or impaired fasting glucose from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2012 were examined. The clinical characteristics of the patients at their first referral to the centers, type 1 diabetes-related autoantibodies, molecular genetics records, and C-peptide measurements, if requested for the etiologic diagnosis, were acquired. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome was to assess the percentage of each diabetes subtype in our sample. Results Type 1 diabetes represented the main cause (92.4%) of diabetes in this group of patients, followed by monogenic diabetes, which accounted for 6.3% of cases [maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY), 5.5%; neonatal diabetes mellitus, 0.6%, genetic syndromes, 0.2%]. A genetic diagnosis prompted the transfer from insulin to sulphonylureas in 12 patients bearing mutations in the HNF1A or KCNJ11 genes. Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed in 1% of the patients. Conclusions Monogenic diabetes is highly prevalent in patients referred to Italian pediatric diabetes centers. A genetic diagnosis guided the therapeutic decisions, allowed the formulation of a prognosis regarding chronic diabetic complications for a relevant number of patients (i.e.,GCK/MODY), and helped to provide genetic counseling.

Onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus in two patients with maturity onset diabetes of the young

Maltoni G, Zucchini S, Scipione M, Mantovani V, Salardi S, Cicognani A. Onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus in two patients with maturity onset diabetes of the young.