Among the damage caused by type 1 diabetes is an accelerated ageing of the large blood vessels involving the thickening of artery walls (atherosclerosis), which can lead to significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This process can be measured by using echocardiography to assess the thickness of the carotid artery – the carotid intima media thickness (cIMT)

In our study we measured cIMT in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Even with a relative short duration of diabetes (6 years average), the average cIMT of these participants was significantly thicker than that of control subjects of the same age. This confirmed that diabetes-related damage starts early in type 1 diabetes, and the cIMT measurement can help to identify young people with type 1 dabetes at high risk.

It was also found that, as well as hyperglycemia,  factors such as inflammation and genetics also play an important role in the early phases of the development of vascular damage.

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