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Higher pulse wave velocity in young adult offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes: a case-control study
Cedric A Korpijaakko1,2, Mia D Eriksson3,4, Niko S Wasenius3,4
1Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. cedric.korpijaakko@helsinki.fi.
Insights
Offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes show increased arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity) in young adulthood. This suggests prenatal exposure to diabetes impacts long-term vascular health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Disease Research
- Endocrinology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes face higher risks of early-onset cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Arterial stiffness, assessed via pulse wave velocity (PWV), is a key non-invasive biomarker for CVD risk.
- Early detection of vascular changes is crucial for preventative strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether young adult offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes exhibit increased arterial stiffness (PWV).
- To assess arterial stiffness as a potential early indicator of cardiovascular risk in this population.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 75 offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes and 84 controls (aged 18-23).
- Measurement of carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV) and carotid-radial PWV (crPWV) using mechanotransducer technology.
- Statistical analysis including Student's t-test and chi-squared test, with adjustments for BMI, smoking, and other factors.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in conventional CVD risk factors (blood pressure, LDL, HbA1c, smoking) were observed.
- Higher cfPWV was detected in offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes (6.5 m/s) compared to controls (6.2 m/s, p=0.049) after adjustments.
- No differences were found in crPWV, PWV ratio, or between sexes.
Conclusions:
- Increased arterial stiffness (cfPWV) is present in young adults exposed to type 1 diabetes in utero.
- Intrauterine exposure to maternal type 1 diabetes may adversely affect offspring vascular health early in life.
- Further research is warranted to understand the long-term implications and mechanisms.
Background:
Offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes have an increased risk for acquiring early onset cardiovascular disease (CVD). Arterial stiffness, measured as pulse wave velocity (PWV), is a non-invasive biomarker for CVD risk assessment. Our aim is to determine whether PWV is increased in young adult offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes.
Methods:
This is a case-control study carried out in the hospital district of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland. 75 offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes (cases) and 84 offspring of mothers without diabetes (controls), aged 18-23 years, were enrolled in this study. All participants attended clinical assessments, including questionnaires and laboratory tests. Carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV), carotid-radial PWV (crPWV), and PWV ratio were measured from each participant using the Complior Analyse mechanotransducer (Alam Medical, France). Student's t-test and chi-squared test were used to assess differences between the groups. Stata 17.0, StataCorp LP (College Station, TX, USA) statistical package was used for the analysis.
Results:
We did not observe any differences in conventional CVD risk factors: systolic blood pressure, LDL, HbA1c, and smoking between cases and controls. We detected higher cfPWV in cases 6.5 (SD ± 1.2) m/s than in controls 6.2 (SD ± 0.7) m/s, p = 0.049, after adjustments for BMI, smoking, mean arterial pressure, height, and pulse rate was made. We did not observe any difference between cases and controls regarding crPWV or PWV ratio. Additionally, we detected no sex differences.
Conclusions:
We report a novel finding of signs of increased arterial stiffness already in young adult offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes compared to matched offspring of mothers without diabetes. Our finding suggests that exposure to an adverse intrauterine environment of type 1 diabetes mothers may affect the vascular health of offspring already in young adulthood. Additional research within this topic is warranted.
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