Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) increased in people with T1D
Van der Heyden JC, Birnie E, Bovenberg SA, Cabezas MC, van der Meulen N, Mul D, Veeze HJ, Aanstoot HJ.
Do traditional cardiovascular risk factors solely explain intima-media thickening in youth with type 1 diabetes? J Diabetes Complications. 2016 Aug;30(6):1137-43.
Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) – a surrogate marker of subclinical atherosclerosis – is significantly higher in people with type 1 diabetes, even in children and adolescents, compared with controls, according to the results of this study.
The cIMT was measured in a total of 178 people with type 1 diabetes, aged 9-22 years, and 208 controls. Classical cardiovascular and diabetes-related risk factors were also assessed. They were divided into two groups (younger than, and older than, 15.3 years), to investigate any effect of age.
Key findings:
- Median cIMT was significantly higher in people with type 1 diabetes aged <15.3 years and >15.3 years, compared with controls (0.423 mm, 0.413 mm, and 0.390 mm, respectively).
- Multiple regression analyses showed that only a few independent risk factors contributed significantly to cIMT: type 1 diabetesduration, current LDL level, current body mass index, and past HbA1c.
- The researchers concluded that cIMT was “significantly and equally increased” in both groups (< and > 15.3 years), and that this increase was largely independent of classical and diabetes-related risk factors.
- They added that contributing factors “are likely related to innate immunity and inflammation, autoimmunity and epigenetic changes”.
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