Age effect on vascular reactivity in Type 1 diabetes

Aim The objective of this study was to assess the effect of age on vascular reactivity in patients with Type 1 diabetes. Methods Forty-five patients with Type 1 diabetes and 71 healthy control subjects, divided into three age groups (18-30, 31-45 and 46-60 years old), underwent assessment of vascular reactivity based on ultrasound examination of a brachial artery after nitric oxide donor administration. Results The vasodilative and haemodynamic effect was most pronounced in the youngest control subjects, where lumen widening of 0.51 +/- 0.16 mm ( 13.9 +/- 4.2%) and increase in early velocity of 28.4 +/- 6.5 cm/s ( 237 +/- 55%) were observed, while, in the control subjects from the middle and oldest age groups, the increase in artery diameter was 0.4 +/- 0.11 and 0.22 +/- 0.12 mm ( 9.8 +/- 2.6 and 5.0 +/- 2.6%), respectively. In the youngest patients with diabetes, lumen widening by 0.35 +/- 0.13 mm( 8.6 +/- 3.4%) and increase in early diastolic velocity by 16.9 +/- 5.6 cm/s (158 +/- 52%) were noted ( P < 0.05 vs. control subjects). In patients with diabetes from the middle and oldest age groups, the increase in artery diameter was 0.26 +/- 0.06 and 0.16 +/- 0.09 mm ( 5.5 +/- 1.4 and 3.2 +/- 1.8%), respectively.