Adolescents with type 1 diabetes experienced more rapid gastric emptying time than did healthy controls, which was linked to greater postprandial rises in blood glucose, a new study has found.
The prospective case-control study in 30 adolescents with type 1 diabetes showed a median half-emptying time of 78 minutes, compared with 109 minutes in controls (P = .2), while the postprandial increase in blood glucose strongly correlated with gastric half-emptying time, according to a paper published online April 14 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
The findings are in contrast with studies in adults which have previously shown that delayed gastric emptying time affects a significant number of adults with type 1 diabetes. But this current study did show that, as with adults, fasting hyperglycemia was linked to slower gastric emptying and increased upper gastrointestinal symptoms (J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2015 April 14 [doi:10.1210/jc.2015-1055]).
“Our results suggest that therapies that modify the rate of gastric emptying may be of particular benefit in optimizing postprandial glycaemia in adolescents with type 1 diabetes, and should be investigated further,” wrote Dr. Shiree J. Perano of the University of Adelaide (Australia) and her coauthors.
The study was supported by a McLeod Foundation fellowship, SA, and an Australian Pediatric Endocrine Care grant from Pfizer pharmaceuticals. Two authors declared funding, advisory board memberships, and honoraria from pharmaceutical companies. No other conflicts of interest were declared.