Retrospective analyses of reasons why children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes visit the emergency department

OBJECTIVES This retrospective study evaluates the clinical and laboratory values of children with type 1 diabetes at the time of first admission to the emergency service. Methods : It is a retrospective study to examine the clinical & laboratory findings of children visiting the emergency service between 2009 & 2012. The sample of the study included 111 children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. Student t test and chi-square test were used in the analysis. RESULTS HbA1c and blood glucose levels and ketoacidosis frequency was found significantly changed (p<0.05). It was detected that the frequency of ketoacidosis at the time of diagnosis was 60% in the children with type 1 diabetes while it was 45% in the second group and 34% in the third group. This difference at the time of admisison was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION It became possible to diagnose children with type 1 diabetes much earlier over the course of time, and the number of patients that could be treated before severe diabetic ketoacidosis developed increased. This results is of great importance as it will provide a guide for all medical professionals including nurses.