Relationship between metabolic control and neurocognitive functions of the children followed with diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus

Relationship Between Metabolic Control and Neurocognitive Functions of the Children Followed with Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes MellitusObjective: The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of age at onset of diabetes, glysemic control and frequency of hypoglycemia on neurocognitive functions in two groups of patients who diognosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus before and after 5 years old.Materail and Methods: Sixty children (6-12 years old) were included in the study groups who were diagnosed as type 1 diabetes without comorbidity such as neurological disorder. Children with type 1 diabetes were divided into two groups according to age at onset of disorder before and after 5 years old. Additionally, one control group recruited from forty healthy children. Whecsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised (WISC-R), Stroop Test, Visual Auditory Digit Span Test Fom B (GISD-B) were applied to all children in two groups. Additionally, patients were analyzed in terms of retinopathy, nephropathy, HbA1c levels and hypoglycemia.Results: Neurocognitive functions such as visual motor development, visual spatial memory and visual organisation, visual perception, multimodal short term memory, concentration, selective attention and rate of information processing were seen negatively effected at significant level. Furthermore, children with DM who had early diagnosis with poor glycemic control were found significant dysfunction for verbal, performans and general intelligence. Then, there was found only significant negative effect of poor metabolic control for abilities involving visual-motor coordination, visual perception, visual attention, visual spatial memory and visual organisation. Additionally, There was defined statistically dysfunction for selective attention and rate of information processing in children who had frequent hypoglycemia independent from early diagnosis.Conclusion: In conculision, negative effects of early onset of diagnosis, poor glycemic control, frequent hypoglycemia on neurocognitive functions were detected in children with type 1 DM. We suggest that negative effects of these factors on neurocognitive functions in type 1 diabetes should be considered and evaluated for taking necesarry precautions in folowing of these patients.