Elevated Albumin Excretion and Retinal Changes in Children with Type 1 Diabetes are Related to Long‐term Poor Blood Glucose Control

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
All diabetic children (n = 113) under 19 years old and with more than 2 years of diabetes attending the Steno Memorial Hospital in 1987 were studied. Normal urinary albumin excretion (< 30 mg 24 h−1) was found in 96 patients (85%), 15 had microalbuminuria (30–300 mg 24 h−1) (13%), and 2 patients were proteinuric (>300 mg 24 h−1) (2%). Retinal morphology was evaluated by colour fundus photography. Background retinopathy was more frequent in the group with elevated albumin excretion (71%) than in a matched normoalbuminuric group (20%, 2p < 0.001). Long‐term blood glucose control was assessed from all previous HbA1c measurements in the hospital records, an average of nine per patient. The mean observation period was 48 (3–76) months. Children with elevated albumin excretion had a higher mean HbA1c than children with normal urinary albumin excretion (10.3 ± 1.9 vs 9.2 ± 1.3% (± SD), 2p < 0.05). Children with retinopathy had an HbA1c of 9.9 ± 1.7 vs 9.0 ± 1.2% in patients without retinopathy (2p < 0.01).