rate control and school performance among children with type 1 diabetes mellitus attending diabetic center in karbala teaching hospital for children in karbala, iraq

Poor glycemic control among children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (t1dm) has a direct impact on cognitive functions that may lead to impairment of their school performance and attendance. a cross-sectional study was conducted among children with t1dm in several places in iraq. the study was conducted to identify the impact of poor glycemic control on the school performance of the children. data were gathered through interviews, medical records, and blood samples. the study considered demographic information (age, sex, education level, residence, occupation, and parents’ education) and disease variables (onset, duration, complications, hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, hospitalization, blood sugar level, self-monitoring, and regular clinic visits). the data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences, version 22, with chi-square tests and logistic regression. a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. all patients with t1dm from the registries of the diabetes center in karbala teaching hospital for children. this study involved total 188 confirmed t1dm patients who lived in karbala and registered in diabetic center in karbala teaching hospital for children, aged less than 15 years from june to august, 2019. 52.7% of them female and 70% of the students lived in the urban area. 62% of the mothers and 44.7% of the fathers completed primary school. 91% of the mothers were housewives and 96% of employed fathers. 31.9% of patients had controlled diabetes (hba1c < 6.5%). 26.8% had a hypoglycemia history. a lack of blood glucose self-monitoring was the sole factor of poor glycemic control. children with disease duration of more than 6 years and poor glycemic control were negatively affected in terms of school performance.