Issue 141 Item 8 Diabetic Children With Asthma Have Fewer Hypoglycemic Episodes

Diabetic children with treated asthma experience significantly fewer episodes of hypoglycemia and better glycemic control than do children with diabetes alone. Investigators from Sheffield Children’s Hospital in Sheffield say that the observation needs further investigation, however. They suggest the finding raises an interesting question: do drugs used to treat asthma, particularly beta agonists, have therapeutic potential for reducing hypoglycemia and improving glycemic control?

The observational study included 226 children attending pediatric diabetes clinics at five area hospitals. Data recorded on the children’s clinic visits included the frequency of hypoglycemia in the preceding three months, asthma treatment and the child’s latest HbA1c results.

Results indicate 27 of the diabetic children (12%) also had treated asthma. Eleven were taking the inhaled steroids, but all used beta agonists at least once a week.

Diabetic children with asthma had a 20% reduction in incidence of hypoglycemia. A total of 52% reported an episode in the previous three months, compared with 72% of the children who had diabetes alone.

There was no difference in the proportion of children with and without asthma experiencing either nocturnal or severe hypoglycemia.

Children with both diseases also had better overall glycemic control, but the difference was not significant, the researchers add. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2003; 88: 155/156.