PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - P C B Sundaram
AU  - E Day
AU  - J M W Kirk
TI  - Delayed diagnosis in type 1 diabetes mellitus
AID  - 10.1136/adc.2007.133405
DP  - 2009 Feb 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - 151--152
VI  - 94
IP  - 2
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/94/2/151.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/94/2/151.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child2009 Feb 01; 94
AB  - Children with suspected type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) should have same day referral to a paediatric diabetes team. 99 children (54 male; median age 10.5 years, range 0.9–15.9 years) were diagnosed with T1DM at our hospital between January 2004 and June 2007. 27 (27.2%) presented in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). 37 (37.3%) required hospital admission, while the rest had ambulatory management. In 21 (21.2%) children, diagnosis was delayed >24 h (median 3.0 days, range 1–14 days) due to missed diagnosis at the local hospital (four) or by the general practitioner (seven), arranging a fasting blood glucose test (nine) and outpatient appointment requested via fax (one). Children with delayed diagnosis presented more frequently in DKA (52.3% vs 20.5%, p<0.01), with a higher median presenting HbA1c (12.3% vs 10.9%, p<0.05). There were no differences in age and sex between the delayed diagnosis and immediate referral groups. Healthcare providers need to be aware of the importance of immediate referral of children newly diagnosed with T1DM.