[Renal function and blood pressure in type 1 diabetes mellitus]

Persistent microalbuminuria is the accepted marker for early detection of a high risk of developing diabetic nephropathy in patients diagnosed with Type I Diabetes mellitus. The Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) evaluates the circadian variations of blood pressure while awake and asleep.

To show the renal function characteristics and the data provided by ABPM in a cohort of insulin dependent diabetic children referred to our hospital.

A total of 61 patients with an age range between 6 and 17 years were studied. In each child blood pressure monitoring was arranged, the glomerular filtration rate in 24 hour urine was estimated, and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, was measured.

None of the cases showed persistent microalbuminuria. The renal function showed an increase in the glomerular filtration rate (146.6 ±22 ml/minute/1.73 m(2)). In 39% of the cases there was no drop in systolic blood pressure during the night, whereas 11% of the patients in our series had a decrease in diastolic pressure. The cases were analysed depending on whether or not there had been a physiological arterial or diastolic pressure drop during the night: there were no significant differences in anthropometric data, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), proteinuria and microalbuminuria between both groups.

In Type I Diabetes Mellitus a decrease in the physiological blood pressure during the night is a frequent finding. There is also an increase in the glomerular filtration rate.