However, the incidence of retinopathy and nephropathy in patients with diabetes and thalassaemia is lower than in patients affected by juvenile diabetes.4,7 This may be due to normal or below normal serum levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, to the frequent presence of hypogonadism and low insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1)85,86 as well as comparable shorter period of observation. Here, IGF1 is linked to diabetes mellitus.