Relatively Small Birth Size and Accelerated Early Growth of Japanese Type 1 Diabetic Children with Younger Onset

We investigated the changes of anthropometrical parameters in Japanese children with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) from birth to the onset of diabetes. One-hundred ninety-nine children (79 males and 120 females) diagnosed between 0–16 yr of age during the period between 1990 and 2003 were the subjects of this study. The subjects were categorized into 3 groups according to onset age (0–5 yr; n=74, 5–10 yr; n=61, 10–16 yr; n=64). At birth, the younger onset (<5) group had significant lower height and weight standard deviation score (SDS) compared with the older onset (5≤) group (p=0.01 and p=0.02, respectively). When the changes in height SDS from birth to onset were compared, height SDS at onset were significantly greater than those at birth in the younger onset group (p<0.001). However, no significant difference was observed in the other groups (p=0.95 and p=0.39). These results suggest that relatively small size at birth and accelerated growth after birth until the onset of diabetes may be a characteristic of Japanese T1DM children with younger onset and may further support the hypothesis that emphasizes accelerated growth and subsequent insulin resistance as a cause of earlier onset of T1DM.