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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

A Semi-Automated and Reproducible Biological-Based Method to Quantify Calcium Deposition In Vitro
Published on: June 2, 2022
Progression of coronary artery calcification in type 1 diabetes: the importance of glycemic control
Janet K Snell-Bergeon1, John E Hokanson, Lisa Jensen
1Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado 80262, USA. janet.snell-bergeon@uchsc.edu
Objective:
Coronary artery disease (CAD) occurs earlier in life and is more often fatal in people with type 1 diabetes. This excess risk seems to be higher than in those with type 2 diabetes and is poorly explained by conventional risk factors. The role of glycemic control is controversial and has not been previously addressed in a prospective manner using a reliable marker for subclinical CAD, such as coronary artery calcification (CAC), measured by electron beam computed tomography (EBCT).
Research Design And Methods:
We measured CAC twice during an interval of 2.7 years in 109 men and women with type 1 diabetes (aged 22-50 years). Progression of CAC was found in 21 patients, based on change in the square root-transformed volume score.
Results:
In multiple logistic regression, CAC progression was associated with baseline hyperglycemia (odds ratio [OR] 7.11, 95% CI 1.38-36.6, P = 0.02), adjusted for the presence of CAC at baseline (P = 0.01), duration of diabetes (P = 0.02), sex (P = 0.09), and age (P = 0.27). There was also a significant interactive effect of higher insulin dose and higher BMI (P = 0.03).
Conclusions:
In conclusion, in this young cohort with type 1 diabetes, suboptimal glycemic control (HbA(1c) >7.5%) was a strong risk factor for progression of CAC. Insulin resistance may also play a role.
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