Non-HDL-cholesterol and C-reactive protein in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

To what extent high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is associated with known cardiovascular risk factors in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) has not been fully explored.

Forty-two T1D children (age: 12+/-1 years) without hypertension, retinopathy, hypothyroidism, albuminuria or other endocrine diseases and 20 controls were studied. Out of the 42 T1D patients studied 57% were prepubertal or early pubertal (Tanner I/II), 38% were pubertal (Tanner III/IV) and 5% post-pubertal (Tanner V).

Children with T1D showed higher hsCRP than controls [0.51 (0.31-1.71 vs. 0.20 (0.20-0.90) mg/L, p<0.05]. However, hsCRP levels were not different in subgroup analysis [hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)>7.5% or disease duration>3 years] within the group of children with T1D. Conversely, non-high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was different in the subgroup analysis. Moreover non-HDL-cholesterol was correlated with age (r=0.37, p<0.01), disease duration (r=0.36, p<0.01) and fasting glucose (r=0.55, p<0.0001).

Non-HDL-cholesterol might be more useful than hsCRP to evaluate future cardiovascular risk in children with T1D.