Linear growth and height outcomes in children with early onset type 1 diabetes mellitus – a 10‐yr longitudinal study

Objective:  To assess the linear growth and height outcomes and the influence of metabolic control on the near‐final height in children with early onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). Study Design and Methods: Retrospective longitudinal evaluation of 99 children with prepubertal onset of type 1 DM before 8 yr of age, who were regularly assessed, clinically and metabolically, from 8 yr of age to 17.99 yr of age. Results: The mean prepubertal height Z scores at 8 yr of age were −0.17 (standard deviation, SD = 0.99) for boys and −0.29 (1.19) for girls, respectively. There was normal linear growth in girls with their mean near‐final height Z score being −0.13 (1.07). This was not statistically different from the mean at 8 yr (p = 0.13). The mean near‐final height Z score in boys was −0.39 (0.98), which was 0.22 SD lower than their mean prepubertal height Z score (p = 0.03). There was no significant correlation between metabolic control and linear growth in either males or females. Conclusions: Linear growth and near‐final height in children with type 1 DM compares favorably with the general population. Although there was some evidence of suboptimal peripubertal growth in boys, the actual extent of this height reduction was minimal and was not correlated with their metabolic control.