Relations between age, metabolic control, disease adjustment and psychological aspects in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The relations between age, metabolic control, disease adjustment, and psychological factors in boys and girls with recently diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were studied. Older girls had significant higher postremission glycosylated haemoglobin A (Hb AIc) levels (p = 0.008). Girls with more hospitalizations had a lower developmental level (p = 0.05), and had significantly more problems in the behavioural rating (p = 0.05). Boys with more hospitalizations had a more external locus of control (p = 0.01), more difficulties with disease adjustment, more emotional problems, and were also clinically assessed as having more behavioural problems. Boys showing more difficulties in psychological adjustment to the disease also had higher postremission Hb AIc levels (p = 0.02). Although Swedish children with IDDM of short disease duration do not differ from healthy children in important psychological aspects, older girls and a small group of problematic younger boys are at risk of developing metabolic imbalance after a short disease duration.