Body mass index changes in youth in the first year after type 1 diabetes diagnosis

Objectives: To describe changes in weight and body mass index (BMI) during the first year following diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and associations with demographic and clinical characteristics.

Study design: The Pediatric Diabetes Consortium includes 7 US centers with prospective longitudinal data from initial T1D diagnosis. This analysis includes 530 youth with diabetes duration of ≥1 year and measures of BMI at 3 and 12 months after diagnosis. BMI trajectory of participants and relationships between the change in BMI z-score from baseline (3 months) to 12 months with demographic characteristics, hemoglobin A1c at baseline, and insulin delivery mode at baseline were evaluated.

Results: As a group, BMI z-scores increased sharply from diagnosis for 1-3 months but remained relatively stable from +0.51 at 3 months to +0.48 at 12 months. Children aged 2-<5 years experienced a significant positive change in BMI z-score between 3 and 12 months, and there was a similar trend among girls that did not reach statistical significance. No significant differences were found for race, socioeconomic status, or insulin delivery mode.

Conclusions: These data suggest that increased BMI during the first year of treatment of most youth with T1D reflects regain of weight lost before diagnosis. There is, however, a propensity toward additional weight gain in younger children and girls.