Comment on Beltrand et al. Sulfonylurea Therapy Benefits Neurological and Psychomotor Functions in Patients With Neonatal Diabetes Owing to Potassium Channel Mutations. Diabetes Care 2015;38:2033–2041

Abstract

Beltrand et al. (1) have conducted a prospective single-center clinical study for assessing neurodevelopmental parameters in 18 patients presenting with neonatal diabetes caused by mutations in KCNJ11 or ABCC8 encoding the two ATP-dependent potassium (KATP) channel subunits who were successfully switched from insulin to sulfonylurea (SU) therapy. A standardized normative test battery called NP-MOT (French Neuromotor Functions in Children) performed by a single examiner was used to evaluate the neuromotor functions and developmental parameters before and after 12 months of SU therapy. At the 12-month examination, several patients experienced an improvement or correction of body and visual-spatial motor abnormalities, tone, and attention deficits, with, however, marked differences according to patient age at inclusion. It is well established that the neuromotor clinical abnormalities and patient long-term …