Common carotid pulsatility is deteriorated by autoimmune thyroiditis in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus – A pilot study

Autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) frequently coexists with type 1 diabetes (DM1) and additionally increases the extent of microcirculatory complications due to DM1. We hypothesized that in pediatric patients with DM1, impairment of macrocirculation could be further augmented by a coexisting autoimmune process. Therefore, we investigated the influence of AIT on large arteries in DM1 pediatric patients. Our group consisted of 19 DM1, 19 DM1 + AIT patients and 29 control subjects. The groups were comparable regarding age and gender. The DM1 and DM1 + AIT patients were matched for age at onset of DM1 and diabetes duration. Macrocirculation was described using pulsatility indices (PIs) determined for common carotid (CCA) and peripheral arteries of upper and lower limbs. CCA resistance index (RI) and ABI were also assessed. Children with DM1 + AIT had only significantly lower CCA_PI and CCA_RI in comparison with controls whereas in the absence of AIT such difference was not found. The diabetes duration and age of onset did not correlate with carotid indices. Total cholesterol level was higher both in DM1 + AIT and DM1 groups than in the control group. For low density lipoproteins cholesterol, a significant difference was found between DM1 + AIT and control groups. Age-independent impact of AIT on CCA_PI was confirmed by multivariate analysis. Common carotid pulsatility is deteriorated by autoimmune thyroiditis independently of age in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.