Does age at diabetes diagnosis influence long-term physical and behavioral outcomes?

T ype 1 diabetes is a complex chronic illness. Because self-care is such an essential element of successful diabetes management, cognitive and behavioral aspects of childhood development may interfere with effective self-care behaviors and impact the probability of later complications. The objective of this study was to examine whether the age at diagnosis of diabetes is significantly related to physical and behavioral outcomes in adulthood. It may be that children diagnosed in adolescence spend their first few years with diabetes rebelling against the therapeutic demands of treatment. An intense phase of inadequate care could lead to health consequences later in life; behaviors adopted in adolescence could also linger long into adulthood. Conversely, it is possible that being diagnosed very early in life leads to a dependence on others that affects health and behavior long into the future.