Long‐Term Growth Outcomes of Children With Type 1 Diabetes According to Glycemic Control and Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background Chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) may alter linear growth; however, reports regarding growth in children with T1DM have been inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the height and growth velocity of patients with T1DM, and whether they were affected by various factors 5 years after the diagnosis. Methods This retrospective study included patients with T1DM between October 2005 and May 2022, with a follow‐up period of at least 1 year. Patients with diabetes, thyroid disease, celiac disease, or any other chronic disease were excluded. We compared the mean height standard deviation score (H‐SDS) and growth velocity between groups divided based on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems. Results Among the 150 patients, 45.3% were male, with a mean age at diagnosis of 7.8 ± 3.6 years. At diagnosis, the mean H‐SDS was 0.38 ± 1.11. In males, H‐SDS significantly decreased overtime, with an estimated slope ( β ) of −0.054 (standard error [SE] = 0.013, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.079 to −0.029, p < 0.01). The decline in H‐SDS was more pronounced in the poorly‐controlled group (mean HbA1c ≥7.0%) compared to the well‐controlled group (mean HbA1c