The emotional well-being of parents with children at genetic risk for type 1 diabetes before and during participation in the POInT-study

INTRODUCTION

This study examined the emotional impact that parents experience when confronted with an increased genetic risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in their child. Population-based screening of neonates for genetic risk of chronic disease carries the risk of increased emotional burden for parents.

METHODS

Information was collected using a well-being questionnaire for parents of infants identified as having an increased risk for T1D in a multinational research study. Parents were asked to complete this questionnaire after they were told their child had an increased risk for T1D (Freder1k-study) and at several time points during an intervention study (POInT-study), where oral insulin was administered daily.

RESULTS

Data were collected from 2595 parents of 1371 children across five countries. Panic-related anxiety symptoms were reported by only 4.9% after hearing about their child having an increased risk. Symptoms of depression were limited to 19.4% of the parents at the result-communication visit and declined over time during the intervention study. When thinking about their child's risk for developing T1D (disease-specific anxiety), 47.2% worried, felt nervous and tense. Mothers and parents with a first-degree relative (FDR) with T1D reported more symptoms of depression and disease-specific anxiety (p < 0.001) than fathers and parents without a FDR.

CONCLUSION

Overall, symptoms of depression and panic-related anxiety are comparable with the German population. When asked about their child's risk for T1D during the intervention study, some parents reported disease-specific anxiety, which should be kept in mind when considering population-based screening. As certain subgroups are more prone, it will be important to continue psychological screening and, when necessary, to provide support by an experienced, multidisciplinary team.

Celiac disease in children with type 1 diabetes varies around the world: An international, cross-sectional study of 57 375 patients from the SWEET registry

BACKGROUND

Children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at much higher risk of developing celiac disease (CD) than the general population. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and differences in clinical presentation of CD in T1D in different regions of the world.

METHODS

This study is based on the Better control in Pediatric and Adolescent diabeteS: Working to crEate cEnTers of Reference (SWEET) database. There were 57 375 patients included in the study, aged ≤18 years from 54 SWEET centers. Only centers with screening for celiac disease were included. Regression models adjusted for age, diabetes duration, and gender and a fixed effect in the models for region was used. Diabetes duration, age at diabetes onset, and sex were presented as unadjusted results.

RESULTS

CD was present in 2652 subjects (4.5%), with different prevalence among regions: from 1.9% in Asia/Middle East to 6.9% in Australia/New Zealand. CD was observed more often among females. Comparing children with and without CD, characteristics for those with CD were younger age at diabetes onset (6.3 [3.3; 9.8] vs 8.1 [4.6; 11.3], P < 0.001) and had longer diabetes duration (6.4 [3.6; 9.8] vs 4.8 [2.1; 8.2], P < 0.001). Further, they had lower glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in Europe and North America/Canada; lower body mass index (BMI)-SD score (BMI-SDS) in southern Europe, North America, and Canada; In most regions daily insulin dose was lower, height-SDS was lower, and the percentage of insulin pump users was higher in children with T1D and CD.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence and the anthropometric and metabolic consequences of CD in children with T1D differ around the world.

Follow-up of parenchymal changes in the thyroid gland with diffuse autoimmune thyroiditis in children prior to the development of papillary thyroid carcinoma

PURPOSE

To present the outcomes of ultrasound (US) follow-ups in children with autoimmune thyroid disease who did not have a thyroid nodule on admission but developed papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and to characterize the parenchymal changes in the thyroid gland prior to the development of PTC.

METHODS

A retrospective thyroid US scan review of 327 patients diagnosed with AIT was performed. Forty patients (40/327, 12.2%) presented nodular AIT variant with a normoechogenic background. Eleven patients (11/327, 3.4%, 11/40, 27.5%) presenting this variant were diagnosed with PTC (nine females-mean age 15.3 years; two males aged 11 and 13 years). In five of 11 patients, the suspicious nodule that was later confirmed to be PTC was detected on the initial US at presentation. For the remaining six females (6/11) who developed PTC during the follow-up, we retrospectively analysed their US thyroid scans and these patients were selected for analysis in this study.

RESULTS

On admission, the US evaluation revealed an enlarged normoechogenic thyroid gland in three patients and a hypoechogenic thyroid gland with fibrosis as indicated by irregular, chaotic hyperechogenic layers in three patients. No thyroid nodules were identified. Ultrasound monitoring revealed increasing echogenicity of the thyroid parenchyma during the follow-up. PTC developed in a mean time of 4.6 years (1 9/12-7 4/12 years) since referral to the outpatient thyroid clinic and 2.9 years (6/12-6 9/12) since the last nodule-free US thyroid scan.

CONCLUSIONS

Sonographic follow-up assessments warrant further exploration as a strategy to determine PTC susceptibility in the paediatric population.

A prospective comparison of antibiotic usage in pediatric surgical patients: the safety, advantage, and effectiveness of the Surgical Infection Society guidelines versus a common practice

BACKGROUND

The Surgical Infection Society (SIS) guidelines for antibiotic (Ab) usage minimally changed the surgical practice. The authors believed that clinical evidence of the safety, advantage, and effectiveness of SIS guidelines may improve inappropriate usage of Ab.

METHODS

A group of dedicated surgeons attempted to use Ab appropriately to SIS guidelines in their patients (group A). A comparison was made with a concurrent cohort of patients (group B), treated by surgeons who were nonsupporters of SIS guidelines. The trial was conducted in 378 children between March 1999 and May 2000. The outcome measures were morbidity and mortality rates, Ab treatment duration, timing of administration, unjustified spectrum, and switch of Ab. Analysis of variance and Chi2 test were used in statistics. P value less than.05 was considered significant (s).

RESULTS

Group A included 124 patients and Group B, 254. There were no intergroup differences in age, sex, and clean/contaminated/dirty ratio of procedures. The mean duration of Ab treatment was 3.9 days in group A, versus 7.1 days in group B (s), with overall rate of appropriateness of 77% versus 36% (s) and no differences in mortality and morbidity rates.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps these results may change Ab usage in pediatric surgery.