ABSTRACT
Diabetics have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this work was to evaluate the cardiovascular risk factors in infant-juvenile type 1 diabetics and their association with the degree of glycemic control. A total of 52 patients, aged 5-15 years, were studied and compared with 37 control subjects. The degree of glycemic control, lipid profile, plasma fibrinogen, microalbuminuria and blood pressure were investigated. The patients were grouped in diabetics with good glycemic control [DGGC, glycosilated hemoglobin (HbA1c) < 8%] and poor glycemic control [DPGC, HA1c > or = 8%]. Diabetic patients presented incremented values of total cholesterol (4.1 +/- 0.9 vs. 3.1 +/- 0.7 mmol/l, p = 0.0008), LDL-cholesterol (2.4 +/- 0.9 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.7 mmol/l, p = 0.0001), HDL-cholesterol (1.2 +/- 0.3 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.2 mmol/l, p = 0.0002), with respect to control group. Eighty three per cent of diabetics showed a poor glycemic control. There were not significant differences in lipid profile between DGGC and DPGC, excepting HDL-cholesterol which was higher in DPGC group (p = 0.007). Plasma fibrinogen levels were similar in diabetics and controls, but they were higher in DPGC than in DGGC (265 +/- 46 vs. 229 +/- 22 mg/dl, p = 0.02). Three patients with microalbuminuria and none with hypertension were detected. In these patients the most pronounced risk factors for CVD were dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia, which justify the need for the early detection of these factors as well as strict metabolic control.