Diabetes Care, Vol 10, Issue 1 39-43, Copyright © 1987 by American Diabetes Association

ARTICLES

Prednisone treatment in newly diagnosed type I diabetic children: 1-yr follow-up

L Mistura, L Beccaria, F Meschi, A Flores D'Arcais, C Pellini, M Puzzovio and G Chiumello

Thirty-one children suffering from type I diabetes mellitus were arranged at onset of the disease in two different groups. Group 1 was treated with oral prednisone (60 mg X m-2 X day-1 for 14 days, 30 and 15 mg X m-2 X day-1 for 7 days). Group 2 matched the control group. All patients were treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion for the first 15 days of treatment, and then with two daily injections of a mixture of intermediate- and fast-acting insulin. All subjects were followed for 1 yr. Group 1 required more insulin than group 2 after 30 days (1.5 +/- 0.3 vs. 0.6 $ 0.2 U X kg-1 X day-1, P less than .001) and after 60 days (0.8 +/- 0.1 vs. 0.5 +/- 0.06 U X kg-1 X day-1, P less than .001). After 3 mo, both groups reached the lowest mean stable HbA1 level (8.4 +/- 0.4 and 8.3 +/- 0.4% group 1 and 2 respectively). Between the 2nd and 9th mo of follow-up, mean postbreakfast C-peptide concentration increased in both groups. The highest levels of fasting C-peptide were reached by group 1 after 90 days (0.77 +/- 0.32 nM) and group 2 after 60 days (0.34 +/- 0.09 nM). The largest partial remission (C-peptide 0.3 nM, insulin requirement less than 0.5 U X kg-1 X day-1 and no glycosuria) was observed in group 1 after 180 days (5 of 16 patients) and in group 2 after 60 days (5 of 15 patients).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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