Abstract

Aim: Carbohydrates have an important effect on the develpoment and function of the nervous system. We wish to determine the effect of type I diabetes on cognitive functions of school-age children.
Materials and Method: We conducted our research on 29 children with type I diabetes mellitus. Subjects were chosen from amongst the patients who were admitted to the pediatric endocrinology department of Turgut Özal Health Center (Malatya, Turkey). 28 children without any apparent health problems were chosen as controls.
Subjects were divided into four groups according to their age; two of these groups included children with diabetes and the other two the controls. Wechsler intelligence test, which was developed for children, was applied to control and patient groups by pediatric psychologists.
Results: We found that type I diabetes influenced the abilities of visual-spatial groups in different ways. We observed that it was influential on visual-hearing rememberance and ability to employ acquired knowledge of various ages groups of children with numerous intelligence types. In general, we noticed statistically significant differences in word sequencing, picture completion and designing the picture abilities between the groups. A positive correlation was identified between the cubical figure and performance scores of the two diabetic children groups.
Discussion: We reviewed the results in the light of the relevant literature. Diabetes was found to affect specific type of memory inversely. Therefore, it can be concluded that time of diagnosis and ensuring metabolic control in diabetes might have important consequences associated with the hazardous effects of diabetes on the development and function of the nervous system.

Key words: Diabetes Mellitus (Type I); Cognitive Function; Schoolchildren; Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Revised.