Body Composition Characteristics of Type 1 Diabetes Children and Adolescents: A Hospital-Based Case-Control Study in Uganda

Abstract

Changes in body composition have been suggested as an intractable effect of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and its management. This study aims to compare body composition characteristics in a sample of young children and adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus with healthy controls. Methods: In this case–control study, body composition was assessed using bioelectrical impedance among 328 participants. Anthropometric measurements included weight, height, upper arm, hip, and waist, circumferences; biceps; triceps; and subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds. From raw Bioelectrical impedance data, we calculated the impedance, phase angle, and height normalised resistance and reactance to assess body composition. Analysis of variance accounting for paired blocks was used to compare the two matched groups, while an independent Student’s t-test was used for intragroup comparisons among cases. Results: Waist Hip Ratio, biceps, triceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds were higher among cases than in controls. Cases showed a higher Fat Mass Index, higher fasting blood glucose and higher glycated haemoglobin. Cases also had a higher mean value of resistance (p = 0.0133), and a lower mean value of reactance (p = 0.0329). Phase angle was lower among cases than in controls (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our diabetic children showed higher levels of adiposity than controls. The observed differences in body composition are explained by differences in the fat-mass index. Abdominal fat accumulation was associated with poor glycaemic control and a lower phase angle.

Association of a Bioimpedance Profile with Optical Coherence Tomography Features in Diabetic Macular Edema

“…Nsamba et al observed that children with type 1 DM exhibited a lower PhA than that of age-matched controls (4.94 vs. 5.32, p < 0.001) [28]. Dittmar et al [29] reported that the whole body PhAs of patients with diabetes at 50 and 100 kHz were lower than those of controls; however, the PhA at 5 kHz was higher in patients with diabetes. Furthermore, Kim et al [15] observed that patients with diabetes exhibited a lower PhA at three frequencies (5, 50, and 250 kHz) than that of age-, sex-, and BMI-matched normal controls.…”

Advances in Research on Nutrition and Childhood Obesity

“…Nutrition and obesity in the context of chronic childhood diseases were also present in the topics of the SI. Nsamba et al, who reported higher fat accumulation in Type 1 DM children than in their non-DM counterparts, while abdominal fat accumulation was associated with poorer glycemic control in these patients [2]. Moreover, Ahn et al proposed that the use of Fetuin A-to-Adiponectin ratio could be useful in identifying diabetic obese children and adolescents with a higher probability of developing metabolic complications [3] Two articles from the Greek division of the Global Asthma Network presented important evidence about the protective association between a high consumption of fruits and vegetables with atopic diseases and the important role of socioeconomical status in this relationship [4,5].…”