title: Low levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine in children with diabetes mellitus type I compared with healthy children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although high levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) are associated with an increased risk for vasculopathy in adults, elevated ADMA concentrations also have been found in healthy young children. Patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1) are at risk for vasculopathy, and because the function of ADMA in the development of vascular symptoms is incompletely understood, we investigated ADMA concentrations in pediatric patients with DM1 compared with healthy age- and sex-matched individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included 85 pediatric patients with DM1 and 89 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ADMA concentrations were significantly lower in the patients with DM1 and were inversely correlated with hemoglobin A1c concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Besides its vasoprotective function, nitric oxide itself may exert oxidative stress by generating free radicals. In these circumstances, ADMA would protect the system from nitric oxide overproduction and perpetuation of oxidative stress. This theory is supported by the physiologically higher ADMA concentrations in healthy children. Thus, low ADMA concentrations in children with DM1 may be an indicator of impaired protection against oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Landeskrankenhaus Bregenz, Bregenz, Austria. martina.huemer@lkhb.at
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huemer
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Simma
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mayr
authors.forename: Adolf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mühl
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rami
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schober
authors.forename: Hanno
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ulmer
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Zanier
authors.forename: Olaf A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Bodamer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001120:Arginine; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine