[Connection between microalbuminuria and subclinical cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy in diabetic children]

Cardiovascular tests were investigated in 16 microalbuminuric, in 20 normoalbuminuric diabetic children and a control group of 20 healthy children. Comparing to the control group, in both of two diabetic groups a similar increase in resting heart rate (74.5 +/- 2.5/min vs. 87.8 +/- 3.5/min, p less than 0.01, and 83.6 +/- 3.2/min, p less than 0.05) and a decrease in hyperventilatory arrhythmia (32.3 +/- 1.2/min vs. 20.1 +/- 0.8/min, p less than 0.01, and 17.2 +/- 0.8/min, p less than 0.01) was observed. In the diabetic group with microalbuminuria in comparison with both the control group and the normoalbuminuric group there was a lower standing/lying heart rate ratio (1.02 +/- 0.03 vs. 1.30 +/- 0.05, p less than 0.01, and 1.22 +/- 0.05, p less than 0.05), a pronounced orthostatic decrease in blood pressure (15.1 +/- 0.3 mmHg vs. 2.0 +/- 0.1 mmHg, p less than 0.001, and 5.0 +/- 0.2 mmHg, p less than 0.01) and a diminished increase in blood pressure during sustained handgrip (6.3 +/- 0.2 mmHg vs. 14.0 +/- 0.3 mmHg, p less than 0.01, and 12.2 +/- 0.3 mmHg, p less than 0.05). The occurrence of cases with distinct autonomic dysfunction (3 or more abnormal cardiovascular tests) proved to be more frequent in the group with microalbuminuria than in the diabetic group with normal albumin excretion (6/16 vs. 1/20, p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)