From contemporary analyses it is apparent that in the Czech Republic the proportion of children is increasing where diabetes mellitus type 1 is manifested in the first years of life. The manifestation of the disease in this age group may be associated with a number of symptoms different from those typical for the disease in schoolchildren and adolescenta. This leads frequently to a late diagnosis of the disease and more serious initial metabolic disturbance. Using a questionnaire authors addressed the parents of 37 children where diabetes mellitus was manifested before the age of 6 years. The questionnaire was completed by 33 parents. The most frequent symptom in the age group from 0 - 3 years was polydipsia (91%). Manifestations of polyuria (73%) recorded by the parents were frequent wet napkins or secondary enuresis. In the age group from 3 - 6 years the clinical picture resembled more that in older children, polyuria dominated (95%), associated in 50% with nocturnal or diurnal enuresis. Weight losses and fatigue were striking features. In ahnost one third of the children aged 0 - 6 years the diagnosis is established only in the stage of clinically significant ketoacidosis.

        Key words: diabetes mellitus type 1, children, symptoms