Nontraditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes

Background: If we are to gain a full and complete understanding of mechanisms of cardiovascular risk factors in adolescent type 1 diabetes mechanistic risk markers must be developed that predict risk accurately and which can be used as endpoints for short or intermediate term intervention studies aimed at reducing risk. A variety of biochemical and vascular markers have potential to meet these requirements. Biochemical markers include markers of inflammation, oxidation, and endothelial damage. Vascular markers include static and dynamic measures of arterial function. Adolescents with type 1 diabetes demonstrate alterations in many of these markers. Conclusion: For many of the biochemical markers precise cut-off points with high sensitivity and specificity are not available and many of the vascular measures require specific equipment and are operator dependent.