Radial artery tonometry demonstrates arterial stiffness in children with type 1 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if children with type 1 diabetes have increased arterial stiffness by estimating augmentation index with the simple noninvasive technique of radial artery tonometry.


METHODS
We studied 98 type 1 diabetic children and 57 healthy control subjects, ages 10-18 years, matched for age, sex, race, and BMI, generating 43 matched pairs. Radial artery tonometry was performed, and blood was collected for analysis of fasting lipids, HbA1c, glucose, and cytokines in all children.


RESULTS
Children with diabetes had a significantly higher augmentation index corrected to a heart rate of 75 (AI75) than their matched control subjects. Mean AI75 in type 1 diabetic subjects was 1.11 +/- 10.15 versus -3.32 +/- 10.36 in control subjects. The case-control difference was 5.20 +/- 11.02 (P=0.0031).


CONCLUSIONS
Children with type 1 diabetes have increased arterial stiffness compared with healthy control subjects. Radial artery tonometry is a simple noninvasive technique that could be added to the armamentarium of tests used to provide cardiovascular risk stratification in children with type 1 diabetes.
Haller
Michael J
MJ
Pediatric Endocrinology, P.O. Box 100296, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. hallemj@peds.ufl.edu
Samyn
Margaret
M
Nichols
Wilmer W
WW
Brusko
Todd
T
Wasserfall
Clive
C
Schwartz
R Fletcher
RF
Atkinson
Mark
M
Shuster
Jonathan J
JJ
Pierce
Gary L
GL
Silverstein
Janet H
JH
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry / Q000379:methods*; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D017534:Radial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012016:Reference Values