Diabetes I Stalls Brain Growth in Young Children, Study

Young children with type 1 diabetes may have slow brain growth due to high blood sugar levels, according to a new study.

Researchers studied the results of brains scans and other tests to assess the mental abilities of children aged 4 to 9 years old. The blood sugar levels of the children were also constantly monitored, Web MD reported.

According to lead author Dr. Nelly Mauras, chief of the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., "Our results show the potential vulnerability of young developing brains to abnormally elevated glucose [blood sugar] levels, even when the diabetes duration has been relatively brief."

"Despite the best efforts of parents and diabetes care teams, about 50 percent of all blood glucose concentrations during the study were measured in the high range. Remarkably, the cognitive tests remained normal, but whether these observed changes will ultimately impact brain function will need further study," Mauras said in a clinic news release.

"As better technology develops, we hope to determine if the differences observed with brain imaging can improve with better glucose control," she added.

The findings revealed that children with diabetes had slower overall and regional growth of gray and white matter compared to children without the disease, reported CBS News. The differences were linked to high blood sugar levels but this association does not seem to have a cause-and-effect relationship.

"This is the thing that parents always worry about when it comes to a child with a chronic illness," said Dr. Karen Winer, a pediatric endocrinologist at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, who is a co-author of the study.

"Does it affect their brain? The good news here is that there may be some viable solutions on the horizon that parents should be aware of," she said.

There were no significant differences found in the thinking and memory skills ("cognition") of children with diabetes.

The study was published in the December issue of the journal Diabetes.