Clinical picture of childhood type 1 diabetes mellitus in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Aim: Study of the clinical presentation and laboratory data of type 1 diabetes in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The medical records of all affected children during the period 1986–1997 were reviewed for the analysis of clinical and laboratory data. Results: Type 1 diabetes was diagnosed in 46 children, 27 girls and 19 boys, with a mean age at diagnosis of 9.0 yr. The mean duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis was 12.5 d. Depressed consciousness occurred in 10.8% of the patients (none was comatose) and ketoacidosis in 77%. There was no episode of increased intracranial pressure during treatment, nor was there any death. There was a correlation between the central nervous system depression and the degree of hyperglycemia, and also with the severity of acidosis. Conclusions: Although more than three quarters of patients with type 1 diabetes had ketoacidosis on presentation, none was comatose or developed clinical cerebral edema during treatment. The presentation of type 1 diabetes in children from Saudi Arabia seems to differ from reports from developed countries.