CHARACTERISTICS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES MELLITUS AND DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS AMONG YEMENI CHILDREN IN SANAA, YEMEN

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is a chronic debilitating disease affecting children with a serious fatal complication, diabetic ketoacidosis. Scanty literature is available about the epidemiological characteristics of (T1DM) among Yemeni children in Sanaa. Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study performed in the most important referral hospital and the National Diabetes Center in Sanaa. Data such as age, sex, residency, family history were collected by a pretested data collection form. Results: Total enrolled patients were 163. Mean age at diagnosis was 10.1 years (±3.6). Mean age among females was slightly lower than that of male (9.8 years, 10.2 years respectively).(61.3%) of patients were in the age group 10-14 years at the time of diagnosis Some female predominance was noted with male to female ratio of 0.9. 66.9% of patients came from Urban areas, although relatively more DKA patients came from rural areas. Positive family history was detected only in 12 % of patients. The highest peak of T1DM was during winter, 62(38%). Conclusions: Mean age at diagnosis of 10.1 years, mean age among females lower than male, slight female predominance, winter seasonality and urban residency were the most prominent epidemiological features among T1DM patients enrolled to this study. Moreover, polydipsia and polyuria were the hall mark clinical presentation which can be a target for health education for parents. Exclusive breast feeding was an important protective factor in this study, which is another target for health education.