Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Complications in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are associated with diabetes. Prevalent gastrointestinal complaints related to the manifestations of this disease include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating and vomiting. Some studies suggest that children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) experience more gastrointestinal symptoms compared to their healthy peers. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in children with type 1 diabetes.

Method: In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, 56 children with T1DM who referred to Bahrami Hospital in Tehran from April 2022 to March 2023 were enrolled. In a questionnaire, demographic characteristics, anthropometric data, gastrointestinal symptoms, clinical examination findings, and laboratory data were recorded.

Results: Out of 56 T1DM patients, 29 (51.8%) were boys. The mean age of the participants was 11 ± 4.04 years. 36 patients (64.3%) had at least one gastrointestinal symptom. The most common gastrointestinal symptom was abdominal pain, which was reported in 24 patients (42.9%)., A definitive gastrointestinal diagnosis was made in only 9 patients (16.1%) among whom 5 cases (8.9%) were celiac disease, 2 cases (3.6%) were constipation and 2 cases (3.6%) were gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). There was a statistically significant correlation between sex and the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms (P=0.015). Moreover, there was no statistically significant relationship between the frequency of digestive symptoms and BMI, age, medical history, duration of diabetes diagnosis, HbA1C, duration of breastfeeding, consumption of powdered milk and consumption of cow's milk (P>0.05).

Conclusion: Gastrointestinal symptoms, especially abdominal pain, are common in children with T1DM, with a significant association with sex.