Takeaway
- Lower gastrointestinal symptoms are twice as common in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and are associated with worse glycaemic control and QoL.
- Focused investigations could lead to treatable causes in more than two-thirds of those with diarrhoea.
Why this matters
- A low threshold for investigating gastrointestinal symptoms could lead to improvement in glycaemic control and QoL in patients with T1D.
Study design
- Prospective study included 706 patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D; mean age, 41.9 years) and 604 control participants without diabetes (mean age, 41.9 years).
- Patients with T1D completed a gastrointestinal symptom and the Short Form 36 V.2 quality of life questionnaire along with HbA1c measurement.
- Funding: The Bardhan Research and Education Trust of Rotherham and Solvay.
Key results
- Compared with control participants, gastrointestinal symptoms were significantly more frequent in patients with TID, particularly:
- Constipation (OR, 2.4; P<.001);
- Diarrhoea (OR, 2.5; P=.0017);
- Alternate bowel habit (OR, 2.1; P=.0013);
- Flatulence (OR, 1.3; P=.02);
- Floating stools (OR, 2.7; P<.001);
- Abdominal pain (OR, 1.4; P=.037); and
- Bloating (OR, 1.4; P=.009).
- History of pancreatitis was more frequent in patients with T1D (OR, 4.6; P=.0009).
- The risk for poorer glycaemic control (P<.01) and worse QoL were associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly in those with diarrhoea.
- Investigation of diarrhoea in patients with T1D, including those with alternating bowel habit, (n=105), identified a cause in 72.3% along with change in management.
Limitations
- Symptoms were self-reported.
References
References
