High frequency of nephropathy among the Iranian children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common chronic diseases in children, and nephropathy is a serious microvascular complication of T1D, which is associated with high mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy and comorbidities in children with T1D. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 208 children (aged 1–18 years old) with T1D referred to the Qazvin endocrinology clinic during 2017–2019. Anthropometric, demographic, laboratory, comorbidities data were collected. Results: The mean age at diagnosis of diabetes was 7.59 years, and the mean HbA1c level of the study subjects was 8.68 ± 1.42. Out of 208 diabetic patients, 64 (30.7%) had diabetic nephropathy, of which 53 (25.5%) had microalbuminuria, and 11 (5.3%) had macroalbuminuria. Among the studied diabetic patients, 30 (14.45%) had hypothyroidism, 12 patients (5.8%) had celiac disease, and 14 patients (6.7%) had anemia. Retinopathy was not found in any of the patients. Moreover, variables such as the duration of diabetes, puberty status, mean HbA1c levels, and age were significantly associated with diabetic nephropathy (p <0.05). Conclusion: In present study, 30.7% patients  had diabetic nephropathy, of which  25.5% and  5.3% had microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria, respectively. In addition, there was a significant relationship between puberty status and nephropathy (p <0.001). Also, mean HbA1c levels were significantly higher in patients with macroalbuminuria, which may corroborate the role of metabolic control of diabetes in the development of albuminuria.