Cognitive performance and psychosocial behavior in type 1

الملخص EN

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic autoimmune diseases with several million people already affected around the globe.

It can occur at any age but is most commonly diagnosed from infancy to the late thirties.

It is characterized by destruction of insulin producing beta calls in the pancreatic islets.

A constant supply of glucose is critical for normal cerebral metabolism.

Therefore, it is not surprising that functional and structural changes within the central nervous system have been documented in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Each patient with diabetes is exposed to several factors related either to the disease itself or its treatment these factors can affect the brain during the course of the disease but their effect on cognition varies.

Psychosocial factors in chronic illness in the pediatric population may impede optimal outcome.

Aim: assessment of cognitive functions and psychosocial behavior in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Methods: this case control study was executed in the Diabetes Clinic and the outpatient clinic, Children's Hospital, Ain Shams University.

This study was carried out on 40 children, with type 1 diabetes mellitus ages ranged from 6 to 10 years compared with 40 apparently healthy children of the same social background.

Cognitive function was assessed by WISC-R, the auditory vigilance testandthe figural memory test.

Psychosocial Assessment through the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17.

Results: Our results indicated that type 1 diabetes mellitus had negative effect on cognitive performance as type 1 diabetic patients had lower scores in IQ auditory vigilance test and memory figural test than in controls and also a negative effect on psychosocial behavior.

Conclusion: type 1 diabetic children are at high risk of cognitive impairment and developing depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.