Learning disabilities caused by type 1 diabetes mellitus debuting in diabetic ketoacidosis. Pediatric Case Report

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an important public health problem worldwide due to its high prevalence, associated morbidity and mortality and the resulting high costs. Standardized and internationally validated epidemiological studies have also revealed an increasing trend in the incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) in children. The significant cognitive impairment observed in children with type 1 diabetes cannot be attributed to the consequences of the disease. The subtle neurocognitive changes documented in some of these patients at different ages do not necessarily result in significant decreases in academic performance, even over time. Life cannot be normal for children with diabetes if their learning and school performance are affected by the cognitive impairment caused by the disease. Therefore, it is very important to determine the effect of diabetes on school learning, because all this can lead to complications in the future, such as diabetic ketoacidosis. Clinical case: a 12 year old male patient is presented, who has a history of diabetes mellitus type 1 diagnosed 3 years ago, during his illness he refers learning problems which have increased, at the moment the patient refers asthenia, weight loss compatible with metabolic alteration of his illness. Conclusion: Life cannot be normal for children with diabetes if their learning and school performance are affected by the cognitive impairment caused by the disease. Therefore, it is very important to determine the impact of diabetes on school learning since all this leads to a metabolic alteration such as diabetic ketoacidosis, its diagnosis must be early because its complication is fatal