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Newborn infants can develop diabetes mellitus, a rare condition with transient and permanent forms. Permanent neonatal diabetes requires lifelong insulin therapy, presenting diagnostic challenges.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Endocrinology
- Pediatric Diabetes
Background:
- Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a rare condition with transient and permanent forms.
- Differentiating between transient and permanent NDM is clinically challenging.
- The etiology of NDM remains largely unknown.
Observation:
- Infants with NDM often present as small for gestational age, hyperglycemic, and dehydrated.
- Ketonemia and ketonuria are infrequent in affected newborns.
- Clinical presentation is similar for both transient and permanent forms in early life.
Findings:
- The study reports two cases of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus.
- These infants were diagnosed within the first two months of life.
- Both cases required ongoing insulin therapy up to thirty months of age.
Implications:
- Early identification and differentiation of NDM subtypes are crucial for appropriate management.
- Understanding the underlying causes of permanent NDM is essential for developing targeted therapies.
- This case series highlights the long-term management needs for permanent neonatal diabetes.
Abstract:
Diabetes mellitus uncommon in the newborn infant. There are two entities: a transient form and a permanent one. Differenciation is difficult. Transient diabetes, apparently the more common of the two, results in complete recovery. Permanent diabetes requires continued insulin therapy. The clinical presentations of these patients in the first days to weeks of life are similar in that the infants are small for gestational age, hyperglycemic, dehydrated and only rarely have ketonemia or ketonuria. However, the aetiology of the syndrome is unknown. The authors report two cases of permanent diabetes mellitus identified in the first two months of life, and still treated at thirty months of life.