Children with Pancreatic Hypoplasia Experience Poor Weight Gain and Labile Diabetes but Low Incidence of DKA.

Context: Pathogenic variants in GATA6, GATA4 and PDX1 cause pancreatic hypoplasia (PH) or agenesis and early onset diabetes mellitus. There is a lack of information about long-term outcomes and clinical management of these complicated patients, including how best to approach their exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), weight gain, and glycemic management.

Participants: We investigated clinical features and treatment of patients with pathogenic variants in GATA6, GATA4, and PDX1 identified through the US Monogenic Diabetes Registry. Data were self-reported or extracted from medical records.

Results: Eleven children were studied. Pancreatic hypoplasia/agenesis, EPI, gallbladder agenesis, and congenital heart defects were common in this cohort. Novel features were present, such as recurrent infections and epilepsy. All participants were born small for gestational age (SGA) and many had difficulties with weight gain. Insulin treatment was discontinued and later reinstated for three infants. Glycemic control in nearly all patients was sub-optimal with the mean HbA1c being 8.7, but only one episode of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) was reported. Fasting and postprandial hypoglycemia were common. Eight of eleven children required pancreatic enzymes. Two children required enteral feedings to maintain nutritional balance.

Conclusion: Children with pathogenic variants in GATA6, GATA4, and PDX1 have labile, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and varying degrees of EPI caused by pancreatic hypoplasia/agenesis. Intrauterine growth restriction and postnatal difficulties with weight gain are common but rates of DKA are low, which may in part be due to a lack of glucagon, an important driver of ketosis.