The Prevalence of Asthma in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Relationship between Control of Diabetes and Severity of Asthma

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is by far the most common metabolic disease in children. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in pediatric population, and its prevalence has increased in the last decades. In this study, the prevalence of asthma among these children with T1DM has been described and its association with the demographic and clinical characteristics of Iranian children has been evaluated. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out on children with T1DM who referred to pediatric endocrinology clinics of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The participants were classified as a group with asthma and the second group as diabetic children without asthma. After selection and evaluation of the diabetic patients with asthma, their glycemic status was evaluated three times in the past year. All data were analyzed using the SPSS version 23.0 statistical software package. Results: A total of 419 patients (49.4% male and 50.6% female) diagnosed with T1DM were included in the study. The mean age of patients at the time of recruitment was 12.65 ± 3.9 years with a range from 3.8 to 18 years. The mean of disease duration was 5.3 ± 2.7 years. Among all participants, asthma was detected in 24 children with T1DM (5.7%). Glycemic control was significantly poorer among asthmatic patients with diabetes compared with diabetic patients without asthma. Conclusion: The study demonstrated a lower prevalence of asthma among T1DM children rather healthy ones. Hence, diabetic child patients with asthma experience poorer glycemic control in comparison with T1DM patients without asthma.