Research on the various complications associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D) adds insights into the precautionary and preventive measures to tackle the scenario. On this line, a study published in Diabetologia showed that childhood-onset T1D is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders and was observed more in individuals with poor glycaemic control.

The population-based study included 8430 patients with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes diagnosed before 18 years of age with a median age of diabetes onset of 9.6 and 84,300 reference individuals from the general population, matched for sex, birth year and birth county. Cox models were used to estimate the effect of HbA1c on the risk of subsequent neurodevelopmental disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disability. The results showed that childhood-onset type 1 diabetes was associated with a higher risk for any neurodevelopmental disorder and autism spectrum disorders compared with the reference group. Children with diabetes and a mean HbA1c < 7.5% did not show an increased risk for any neurodevelopmental disorder, whereas a higher risk was observed for those with HbA1c between 7.5-8% compared with the general population. There is observed an increased risk for any neurodevelopmental disorder in individuals with an HbA1c of 7.5-8.6% when compared with people in the diabetes group.

The study concluded that high HbA1c in type 1 diabetes is closely linked to a high risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. The risk was observed highest among individuals with poor glycaemic control.