“Puddles on the Road”: Hurdles in the Pathway from Symptoms to Diagnosis and Treatment in Children with Type 1 Diabetes

INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to investigate the pathway from first symptoms to initiation of insulin regimen in children with new-onset Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and explore the reasons behind diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) at onset among children with T1DM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An exploratory study was conducted using a pretested questionnaire, among parents of children diagnosed with T1DM within preceding 3 months. RESULTS: Out of the total 105 children, 56.1% were males. The median age was 7 years. The commonest reported symptoms were polydipsia (97.8%), polyuria (75.2%), and nocturia (75.2%). The mean time taken by parents from onset of symptoms to decide to visit the physician (appraisal gap) was 7.85 ± 7.95 days. The help-seeking gap (from decision-making to visiting a physician) was 3.01 ± 8.31 days, diagnostic gap (from first visit to diagnosis) was 4.19 ± 6.72 days, and the treatment gap (from diagnosis to the start of insulin) was 2.12 ± 6.87 days. The DKA at onset (was present in 39 out of 105 children 37.1%) and was higher among children with lower per-capita income (P-0.017), lack of previous experience among parents (P-0.017), longer appraisal (P-0.023), and treatment gap (P-0.009). CONCLUSION: Increasing awareness about the diabetes among children among the public and primary healthcare workers can help prevent DKA at onset.