Assessment of autonomic functions in insulin-dependent diabetic children and adolescents.

Autonomic function has been studied in 30 insulin-dependent diabetic children and adolescents, through five cardiovascular tests. A significant difference between the diabetic and the control subjects was found in heart rate variations after deep breathing and after standing. Fifty percent of our patients showed an altered response to one or more cardiovascular tests. Although clinical manifestations of autonomic dysfunction are not frequent in young insulin-dependent patients, early signs of functional alterations are detectable in a high percentage of them.