Elevated plasma adiponectin and decreased plasma homocysteine and asymmetric dimethylarginine in children with type 1 diabetes

OBJECTIVE: Type 1 diabetes has a bad prognosis concerning the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate different possible new risk indices for CVD in children with type 1 diabetes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study included 30 children with diabetes (mean HbA1C 9.8%), aged between 4.7 and 18.6 years and with no clinical evidence of vascular complications, and 30 healthy subjects matched by sex, age and body mass index. Blood pressure was measured and blood samples were obtained for lipid profile, creatinine, glucose, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), adiponectin and homocysteine. RESULTS: Children with diabetes had significantly higher blood pressure, plasma hsCRP, ICAM-1, adiponectin levels and lower homocysteine, ADMA concentrations than their control subjects. In multivariate regression analysis, the best predictors for systolic blood pressure were diabetes group, plasma homocysteine concentration and BMI (Adj R(2) = 0.38, p<0.0001), and for diastolic blood pressure diabetes group and triglycerides level (Adj R(2) = 0.27, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Children with diabetes, in view of their higher future risk of CVD, are characterized by a higher concentration of protective adiponectin and paradoxically lower blood concentrations of some other possible risk markers of atherosclerosis, i.e. ADMA and homocysteine compared to healthy children.