Elevated E-selectin and diastolic blood pressure in diabetic children.

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular risk markers are related to micro-angiopathy in children with type 1 diabetes (T1DM), but there is no information about their relationship with blood pressure (BP) and endothelial function.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a case-control study including 29 children with T1DM (mean age 10·5 ± 2·7 years, disease duration: 3·8 ± 2·2 years) and 39 healthy controls (mean age: 9·8 ± 2·7 years). We assessed 24-h ambulatory BP, vascular function and serum level of lipids, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1; ICAM) and selectins (E-selectin; P-selectin).

RESULTS

The subject groups had similar physical characteristics and lipids level, except body mass index (BMI) which was higher in T1DM than in healthy children (18·6 ± 2·6 vs. 16·7 ± 2·5 kg/m(2), P = 0·003). Children with T1DM had increased 24 h diastolic BP z-score (0·62 ± 0·9 vs. -0·65 ± 0·8, P < 0·001), even after adjustment for BMI, as well as higher VCAM-1 concentration (492 ± 346 vs. 340 ± 225 ng/mL, P = 0·039) compared to healthy subjects. Diastolic BP z-scores were associated with disease duration, E-selectin and triglyceride levels in the T1DM group (P < 0·05). E-selectin was also related to triglycerides, otherwise there were no relationships between vascular function, markers and BP.

CONCLUSION

E-selectin, an early atherosclerosis biomarker, is positively associated with diastolic BP values in children with T1DM, despite relatively short disease duration.