Diabetes May Slow Your Child's Brain Growth

A child's brain is like a sponge, constantly changing, collecting and absorbing new information. Yet certain health problems can  interrupt essential learning during this critical growth period.

Did you know that diabetes may affect the growth of a child's brain?

Researchers discovered that children with diabetes between the ages of 4 and 9 who underwent brain scans and tests to determine their mental abilities as well as continuous monitoring of their blood sugar levels had slower growth of gray and white matter, overall.

"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," said lead study author Dr. Nelly Mauras, chief of the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., in a news release. "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."

With more technological advances, researchers said they hope to determine if differences observed via brain imaging can help improve with better glucose control.

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

Statistics show close to 208,000 Americans under age 20 are estimated to have diagnosed diabetes--that's about 0.25 percent of that population. 

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Diabetes. 

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