Arterial stiffness, carotid artery intima-media thickness and plasma myeloperoxidase level in children with type 1 diabetes

ObjectiveThe present study investigated the functional–structural changes of the arteries along with a new biochemical marker of atherosclerosis, plasma myeloperoxidase level, in children with type 1 diabetes (T1DM).MethodsWe studied 30 children with T1DM, aged 4.7–18.6 years (mean T1DM duration 5.4 ± 3.4 years, mean HbA1c 9.8%) and 30 healthy subjects, matched by sex, age and body mass index. Fasting blood samples were obtained for myeloperoxidase (MPO). Ultrasonography and pulse wave analysis were used to measure carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), augmentation index corrected to a heart rate of 75 (AIx@75) and pulse wave velocity (PWV).ResultsChildren with diabetes had significantly higher plasma MPO levels (p = 0.006), increased AIx@75 (p = 0.02), IMT (p = 0.005) and IMT standard deviation scores (IMT SDS) (p = 0.02), compared to the control group. IMT SDS correlated positively with HbA1c (r = 0.39, p = 0.05). PWV, adjusted for age and mean arterial blood pressure, correlated with diabetes duration (r = 0.49, p = 0.02).ConclusionsChildren with T1DM have substantially elevated plasma levels of myeloperoxidase as well as atherosclerosis-related structural and functional changes of the arterial wall.