BACKGROUND:

Diabetes mellitus type 1 is an autoimmune disease caused by the interaction of multiple environmental and genetic factors leading to the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic B cells producers of insulin. The incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 1 vary considerably all around the world.

OBJECTIVE:

To establish the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of diabetes mellitus type 1.

MATERIAL AND METHOD:

A descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study that included patients with diabetes type 1 who entered to a university hospital of Colombia from 2012 to 2016. Then, a statistical analysis was done according to variables.

RESULTS:

Intrahospitalary prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 1 was of 19 cases for each 100,000 patients older tan 13 years. It was more frequent in women with 61.3%; the mean age at diagnosis was of 14.89 years. Diagnosis was established in a clinical manner without autoimmunity studies, they were patients with not-controlled disease with a mean HbA1c of 11.5%; the frequent complications were: diabetic cetoacidosis with 46.6%, as well as hypoglycemia. The most frequently prescribed insulin in these patients was glargine, glulisine and regular insulin.

CONCLUSIONS:

The findings suggest that some characteristics of diabetes mellitus 1 could be similar and some different to that reported in other studies; however, some possible investigations may be considered taking these results as basement.

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