Prevalence and associated factors of lipodystrophy in type 1 diabetic children and adolescents at Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Tigray, Ethiopia.

Introduction: Lipodystrophy can cause poor glycemic control in addition to cosmetic problems in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus. However, data on its prevalence and associated factors is scarce among children and adolescents who live in developing countries like Ethiopia.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and identify associated factors of lipodystrophy in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus who visited the endocrinology clinic of Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital between May 1 and July 31, 2020.

Method: This was an institution-based cross-sectional study conducted on 57 children and 65 adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus who had been taking insulin injections for a year or more. The dependent variable was lipodystrophy. A pretested, structured questionnaire was used to collect data related to lipodystrophy and other characteristics. The principal investigator oversaw the data collection, which was done by pediatric and child health specialty residents with training. Data was subjected to descriptive statistics, and predictors of lipodystrophy were identified by fitting a multivariable logistic regression model. Statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05.

Results: More than half (53.3%) of patients were in the age range of 13 to 17. The male-to-female ratio was almost 1:1. Educational status for 63.1% of patients was primary school. Four-fifths of patients were residing in urban areas. Of the 122 participants, 60 (49.2%) had lipodystrophy (48.3% lipohypertrophy and 0.8% lipoatrophy), with grade II lipohypertrophy being the most common type at 81.7%. The thigh was the most common site of lipodystrophy. In multivariable regression analysis, the long duration of insulin injection (AOR = 3.6, 95% CI, 1.5 to 9.0, p = 0.005) and inappropriate rotation of the injection site (AOR = 9.0, 95% CI, 2.2 to 37.0, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with lipodystrophy. HbA1c testing was conducted for 70 patients, and poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 7%) was found in 43 (61.4%) of them. Patients with lipodystrophy were more likely to have poor glycemic control (75%) than those without lipodystrophy (47.1%) (p = 0.016).

Conclusion: The prevalence of lipodystrophy was comparable with other studies. Long duration of insulin injection and improper rotation of the injection site are associated with an increased risk of lipodystrophy. Patients with lipodystrophy were more likely to have poor glycemic control, defined by higher HgA1c, than those without lipodystrophy. Proper education of patients and their parents must include correct injection techniques, rotating injection sites, and changing injection sites intermittently to lessen the risk of developing lipodystrophy.