To evaluate whether the diagnosis of pediatric type 1 diabetes or its acute complications changed during the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Italy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional, Web-based survey of all Italian pediatric diabetes centers to collect diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and COVID-19 data in patients presenting with new-onset or established type 1 diabetes between 20 February and 14 April in 2019 and 2020. RESULTS Fifty-three of 68 centers (77.9%) responded. There was a 23% reduction in new diabetes cases in 2020 compared with 2019. Among those newly diagnosed patient who presented in a state of DKA, the proportion with severe DKA was 44.3% in 2020 vs. 36.1% in 2019 (P 5 0.03). There were no differences in acute complications. Eight patients with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 had laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic might have altered diabetes presentation and DKA severity. Preparing for any "second wave" requires strategies to educate and reassure parents about timely emergency department attendance for non-COVID-19 symptoms. At its peak, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) significantly reduced pediatric emergency department (ED) access, most likely due to the fear of infection (1). During the pandemic, the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes received information from its members about several new type 1 diabetes cases or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) episodes where hospitalization was delayed due to the closure of non-COVID-19 services (2). There were also concerns that parents had delayed seeking timely medical advice for children with symptoms of diabetes or DKA, resulting in increased numbers of presentations of severe DKA. Based on these anecdotal cases in Italy and other countries (2), we hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic might have affected the number of new diabetes diagnoses and the severity of DKA. We therefore conducted a survey to evaluate whether the diagnosis of pediatric type 1 diabetes or its acute complications changed during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy compared with the same period in 2019.
Genital abnormalities and disorders of pubertal development such as hypogonadism are common in Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). Depending on age, PWS patients present genital hypoplasia and delayed or incomplete gonadal maturation. Nevertheless, only a few evaluations have been made of these findings in this syndrome; in the cases previously reported the diagnosis of PWS has often been based only on clinical criteria and not confirmed by genetic analysis. In this paper we describe both external genital findings and spontaneous pubertal development in 84 patients aged from 2.1 to 35.4 (42 males, 42 females) affected by PWS. Diagnosis was made using the Holm and Cassidy criteria and was confirmed by genetic analysis (methylation test and/or FISH). We evaluated the presence of cryptorchidism, scrotal development, length of penis and volume of testis in males and outlook of labia minora and/or clitoris, age of menarche and features of menses (when present) in females; in both sexes we also evaluated the onset of puberty. All recruited males showed cryptorchidism, which was bilateral in 36 out of 42 patients (86%); 38 patients (90%) underwent orchidopexy. Small testes and scrotal hypoplasia were present in 76% and 69% of cases, respectively. In 76% of females, hypoplasia or absence of labia minora and/or clitoris was described. Spontaneous menarche occurred only in 14/32 cases (44%) over the age of 15 years, but menstrual cycles were often a periodical vaginal spotting. Primary amenorrhea was diagnosed in 56% of cases. Isolated premature pubarche was present in six males and in six females (14% of cases) while one male and two females were affected by precocious puberty (3.6%). Conclusion: Hypogonadism represents a common clinical feature in PWS, confirming the importance of such a major diagnostic criterion. Cryptorchidism was consistently present in all our cases. Patients with PWS commonly fail to spontaneously complete puberty, although some patients may have early pubarche or, more rarely, precocious puberty. In older subjects, hormonal replacement therapy is not always necessary and it must be reserved for selected patients.
Until early 2000, permanent and transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM), defined as diabetes with onset within 6 weeks from birth that requires insulin therapy for at least 2 weeks, were considered exceedingly rare conditions, with a global incidence of 1:500,000–1:400,000 live births. The new definition of NDM recently adopted, that includes patients with diabetes onset within 6 months of age, has prompted studies that have set the incidence of the permanent form alone between 1:210,000 and 1:260,000 live births. Aim of the present work was to ascertain the incidence of NDM (i.e. permanent + transient form) in Italy for years 2005–2010. Patients referred to the Italian reference laboratory for NDM between years 2005 and 2010 and screened for mutations in common NDM genes (KCNJ11, ABCC8, and INS) and for uniparental isodisomy of chromosome 6 (UDP6) were reviewed. A questionnaire aimed at identifying NDM cases investigated in other laboratories was sent to 54 Italian reference centers for pediatric diabetes. Twenty-seven patients with NDM born between 2005 and 2010 were referred to the reference laboratory. In this group, a mutation of either KCNJ11, ABCC8 or INS was found in 18 patients, and a case with UDP6 was identified. Questionnaires revealed 4 additional cases with transient neonatal diabetes due to UDP6. Incidence of NDM was calculated at 1:90,000 (CI: 1:63,000–1:132,000) live births. Thus, with the definition currently in use, about 6 new cases with NDM are expected to be born in Italy each year.
OBJECTIVEThe Pediatric Artificial Pancreas (PedArPan) project tested a children-specific version of the modular model predictive control (MMPC) algorithm in 5-to 9-yearold children during a camp. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSA total of 30 children, 5-to 9-years old, with type 1 diabetes completed an outpatient, open-label, randomized, crossover trial. Three days with an artificial pancreas (AP) were compared with three days of parent-managed sensoraugmented pump (SAP). RESULTSOvernight time-in-hypoglycemia was reduced with the AP versus SAP, median (25 th -75 th percentiles): 0.0% (0.0-2.2) vs. 2.2% (0.0-12.3) (P 5 0.002), without a significant change of time-in-target, mean: 56.0% (SD 22.5) vs. 59.7% (21.2) (P 5 0.430), but with increased mean glucose 173 mg/dL (36) vs. 150 mg/dL (39) (P 5 0.002). Overall, the AP granted a threefold reduction of time-in-hypoglycemia (P < 0.001) at the cost of decreased time-in-target, 56.8% (13.5) vs. 63.1% (11.0) (P 5 0.022) and increased mean glucose 169 mg/dL (23) vs. 147 mg/dL (23) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONSThis trial, the first outpatient single-hormone AP trial in a population of this age, shows feasibility and safety of MMPC in young children. Algorithm retuning will be performed to improve efficacy.Only three artificial pancreas (AP) trials have focused on the prepubertal population so far: two single-hormone AP studies, performed inpatient for less than 1 day (1,2) and a recent dual-hormone AP study, performed in a camp for 5 days (3). Here we report the first outpatient single-hormone AP trial focusing on 5-to 9-year-old children.Data were collected in the Pediatric Artificial Pancreas (PedArPan) camp, where sensor-augmented pump (SAP) therapy was compared with the modular model predictive control algorithm (MMPC) (4,5), running on the wearable platform Diabetes Assistant (DiAs) (6).
<div><b>Objective</b>: To evaluate if the diagnosis of pediatric type 1 diabetes or its acute complications changed during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.<b><br></b></div><div><b>Research Design and Methods</b>: This was a cross-sectional, web-based survey of all Italian pediatric diabetes centers to collect diabetes, diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA), and COVID-19 data in patients presenting with new-onset or established type 1 diabetes between February 20 and April 14 in 2019 and 2020. </div><div><b>Results</b>: 53/68 centers (77.9%) responded. There was a 23% reduction in new diabetes cases in 2020 compared to 2019. Among those newly diagnosed patient who presented in DKA, the proportion with severe DKA was 44.3% in 2020 vs 36.1% in 2019, p = 0.03. There were no differences in acute complications. Eight patients with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2.<b><br></b></div><div><b>Conclusions</b>: The COVID-19 pandemic might have altered diabetes presentation and DKA severity. Preparing for any “second wave” requires strategies to educate and reassure parents about timely ED attendance for non-COVID-19 symptoms.</div>
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