[Distribution of the total quantity of fatty acid double bonds in lipid components of the blood in children with diabetes mellitus].

Children suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were examined for unsaturation, that is, total quantity of double bonds in individual fractions of blood serum lipids was assessed. Lipid fractions were isolated by thin-layer chromatography. Unsaturation was assessed by ozonation method. The research was aimed at elucidation of biochemical criteria of the degree of metabolic disorders in children with IDDM and at development of methods for quantitative assessment of such disorders. Thirty-two inpatients with IDDM aged 7 to 15 were examined over time. Control group included 10 healthy age-matched children. Twenty children were examined during compensation stage (group 1), twelve during decompensation with ketoacidosis (group 2). Total unsaturation parameters were found reliably decreased in children with IDDM both during compensation and decompensation stages vs. those in healthy controls. A relative decrease of unsaturated fatty acids in the fraction of unesterified fatty acids (p < 0.05) was characteristic of group 2, with the content of their fragments in triglyceride fraction being the maximal (p < 0.05). The pattern of total unsaturation distribution in serum lipid fractions may serve as an indicator for metabolic disorders and decompensation in IDDM.