Frequency of Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Severe Hypoglycemia in Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Background and Objective: Diabetic ketoacidosis and severe hypoglycemia are common and recurrent acute complications of type 1 diabetes and are associated with high mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycemia in children with type 1 diabetes. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 480 patients with type 1 diabetes admitted to the Children Hospital in Qazvin were enrolled by census method. Demographic characteristics, season of referral, place of residence, existence of type 1 diabetes in the family, kin relationship of parents, cause of hospitalization (hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis) and length of hospital stay were extracted from the files and examined. Findings: Most patients (62.9%) were female. 46%, 44.4% and 9.6% of patients were admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, respectively. 47.96% of patients had severe diabetic ketoacidosis. 49.3% of patients had ketoacidosis with infection and 20% of known cases were hospitalized due to poor insulin compliance. Hospitalization days were significantly higher in patients with ketoacidosis (p=0.00). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the occurrence of infection and lack of adherence to insulin use were the main cause of hospitalization in patients with diabetes, which led to an increase in hospitalization days in these patients. Adequate training to regulate blood sugar reduces the rate of hospitalizations.