Aims/hypothesis
High birthweight and increased childhood growth are risk factors for type 1 diabetes. Relative birthweight is associated with
HLA genotypes that confer a high risk of diabetes. Our aims were to test whether young children prior to clinical onset of
type 1 diabetes have increased: (1) birthweight or birth length standard deviation scores (SDS); (2) height development SDS;
or (3) BMI SDS during first 18 months of life and whether these parameters are related to HLA genotypes or mid-parental height
(MPH).
Methods
Birthweight, birth length, weight and height were obtained from 58 type 1 diabetes children and 155 controls matched for HLA
or not in the Diabetes Prediction in Skåne study.
Results
Birth length SDS corrected for MPH was increased in children developing diabetes compared with all (p < 0.048) and with non-HLA- (p < 0.050) but not with HLA-matched controls. Children developing diabetes had increased height gain at 0 to 18 months of age
(p < 0.005). Diabetic children were significantly taller from 6 to 18 months of age when correcting for MPH compared with non-HLA-matched
as well as HLA-matched controls, but BMI was not increased.
Conclusions/interpretation
Birth length SDS was associated with diabetes risk HLA. When corrected for MPH, children developing diabetes were taller at
birth than non-HLA- but not taller than HLA-matched controls. Diabetic children had increased MPH-corrected height up to 18 months
of age compared with both HLA- and non-HLA-matched controls. High-risk HLA affects prenatal growth, but other factors may
explain the increased postnatal linear growth in children developing diabetes.
Keywords Birth length - Birthweight - BMI - Mid-parental height - Standard deviation score - Type 1 diabetes
Members of the DiPiS Study Group are listed in the Acknowledgements.