Abstract
PURPOSE: This study aims to estimate the incidence and examine the clinical and laboratory characteristics of newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Vietnamese children at a tertiary referral pediatric hospital. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 64 children newly diagnosed with T1D at Vietnam National Children's Hospital in 2023. Data on the children were analyzed, including demographics, family history, symptoms, anthropometric measurements, hemoglobin A1c levels, and pancreatic islet autoantibodies. RESULTS: The average age at diagnosis was 9.1±3.7 years, with a male predominance (53.1%). The incidence rate of T1D in these northern Vietnamese children was 0.77 per 100,000 children. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) was present in 57.8% of children at diagnosis, and 75% tested positive for autoantibodies. The Red River Delta reported the highest proportion of children with T1D (43.5%), but the incidence rate was highest in Hanoi, the capital city (0.91 per 100,000 children). CONCLUSION: This study underscores the considerable diagnostic delays in T1D in a tertiary pediatric center in Vietnam, with a high prevalence of DKA. The results highlight the need for an enhanced network of satellite hospitals to enable early diagnosis and treatment for patients.