Subclinical left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction in type 1 diabetic children and adolescents with good...

Cardiac dysfunction is a well-known consequence of diabetes mellitus. This study was designed to assess whether type 1 diabetic children and adolescents with good metabolic control have early echocardiographic signs of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction and whether diabetes duration has any influence, using conventional and nonconventional echocardiographic tools.

A total of 100 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 80 gender- and age-matched healthy controls were included. The cases underwent standard conventional transthoracic echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging, and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography. None of the diabetic patients had signs of renal, retinal, or neurological complications of the disease, and all were good metabolic control (mean HbA_1c <7.5%).

There was no difference among groups in relation to age, sex, body mass index, and blood pressure. Conventional echocardiographic parameters were similar between diabetic and nondiabetic subjects except increased mitral valve peak A-wave and significantly lower mitral E/A ratio in diabetics. Diabetic patients had more advanced diastolic dysfunction with TDI analysis. In the diabetic group, left ventricular global longitudinal, circumferential, and radial strain and strain rate were significantly lower compared with the controls. There was a positive correlation between diabetes duration and cardiac dysfunction.

The results of this study showed that the diabetic children and adolescents with good metabolic control had diastolic dysfunction when assessed with either conventional or tissue Doppler echocardiography. Also diabetic patients had subclinical LV systolic dysfunction with a normal LVEF which can be detected with 2D speckle tracking echocardiography.