Children who have been diagnosed with type one diabetes are five times more likely to be admitted to hospital for any reason than their peers, according to a new study.
Diabetes is a lifelong condition whereby a person's blood sugar level becomes too high. Type one diabetes is when the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. This causes glucose levels to increase, which can damage the body's organs.
Those diagnosed with type one diabetes will need insulin injections for the rest of their lives.
It has been shown that childhood type one diabetes has been rising steadily by around four per cent each year, with those diagnosed under the age of 30 nine times more at risk of death than the general public.
A team of researchers set out to investigate the relationship between childhood type one diabetes and hospital admission.
For the study, they recruited 1,577 Welsh children aged up to 15, each of whom had been diagnosed with type one diabetes between 1999 and 2009. One in five of the participants had been diagnosed with the condition before the age of five, while two in five children had been diagnosed after the age of ten.
After comparing their records with those of 7,800 children admitted to hospital up to May 2012, it was found that children with type one diabetes were five times more likely to be hospitalised for any cause.
Pre-school children had the highest risk of admission, with the risk falling by more than 15 per cent after the age of five.
The researchers said: 'It is unsurprising that complications of suboptimal management, such as hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and ketoacidosis (excess sugar and acid in the blood) occur, leading to hospitalisation.'
The study has been published in the journal BMJ Open.