Hanna Dis Margeirsdottir

The establishment of a new national network leads to quality improvement in childhood diabetes: Implementation of the ISPAD Guidelines

Margeirsdottir HD, Larsen JR, Kummernes SJ, Brunborg C, Dahl‐Jørgensen K on the behalf of the Norwegian Study Group for childhood diabetes. The establishment of a new national network leads to quality improvement in childhood diabetes: Implementation of the ISPAD Guidelines.

Sweets, snacking habits, and skipping meals in children and adolescents on intensive insulin treatment.

Aim:  To examine the association between skipping meals and snacking events and dietary and clinical characteristics in children and adolescents using modern insulin treatment.

Physical activity and overweight in children and adolescents using intensified insulin treatment.

Aim:  To describe physical activity and inactivity and parameters associated with overweight in a population‐based study of children and adolescents on intensive insulin treatment.

The advanced glycation end product methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 and early signs of atherosclerosis in childhood diabetes:

Background: Advanced protein glycation is an important mechanism for the development of late diabetic complications including atherosclerosis. Methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 is the most abundant advanced glycation end product in human plasma. Aim: To investigate the relationship between methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 and early signs of atherosclerosis in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and healthy controls. Methods: A total of 314 diabetes patients aged 8–18 years were compared with 120 healthy controls. Serum methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 was measured by immunoassay. Atherosclerosis was evaluated by assessing carotid intima-media thickness by ultrasound, arterial stiffness by Young’s modulus and inflammation by C-reactive protein. Results: Methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 was significantly increased in the diabetes group compared with controls, 155.3 (standard deviation (SD) = 41.0) versus 143.0 (SD = 35.1) U/mL, p = 0.003, as was C-reactive protein, median 0.51 (0.27, 1.83) versus 0.31 (0.19, 0.67) mg/L, p < 0.001. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding carotid intima-media thickness or Young’s modulus. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant positive association between methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 and C-reactive protein in the diabetes group. Conclusion: Serum levels of methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 in diabetes patients are increased and associated with low-grade inflammation, but not yet arterial stiffness or wall thickness. This indicates that methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1 may be important in the early phase of the accelerated atherosclerotic process in diabetes.

Early reduced myocardial diastolic function in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus a population-based study

BackgroundReduced diastolic myocardial function is an early sign of diabetic cardiomyopathy. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), but without other known complications, have early reduced diastolic myocardial function diagnosed with echocardiographic color tissue Doppler imaging (cTDI).MethodscTDI examination was carried out in 173 T1D patients and 62 age-matched controls. The T1D-patients were 8–18 years old with (mean (SD)) diabetes duration of 5.6 (3.4) years and HbA1c of 8.4 (1.3). All were treated with either insulin pumps or 4–6 daily insulin injections. cTDI early (E’) and late (A’) peak diastolic velocities and systolic peak velocity were measured from the lateral, septal, anterior and posterior mitral annulus and from the lateral tricuspidal annulus.ResultsMyocardial diastolic function was reduced in the T1D-patients with higher peak A’-velocity and lower E’/A’-ratio in all registrations. Overall mean (SD) mitral E’/A’-ratio was 2.3 (0.5) in T1D and 2.7 (0.6) in the controls (p < 0001). The overall mitral E’/A’-ratio was negative associated with blood pressure (BP) and body mass index (BMI). Stratifying all participants into three groups according to BMI (<25, 25–75, >75 centile, respectively), the T1D had lower E’/A’-values in all stratified groups, except for in the highest BMI-group where both T1D and controls had the lowest E’/A’-ratio. Systolic function did not differ in any of the measurements. There were no associations with sex, diabetes duration, carotid artery intima-media-thickness, vessel elasticity or HbA1c.ConclusionDiabetic children and adolescents using modern intensive insulin treatment had echocardiographic signs of reduced diastolic myocardial function despite short duration of disease. The reduced function was associated with higher BP and higher BMI.

Increased arterial stiffness in childhood onset diabetes: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance study

Aims Arterial stiffness is a strong predictor of cardiovascular events. We aimed to assess the impact of type 1 diabetes (T1D) on arterial stiffness and cardiac function in young adults. Methods and results Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), distensibility, left ventricular (LV) function and LV mass were measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in 47 T1D patients and 33 healthy controls. All were participants in the Atherosclerosis and Childhood Diabetes study, with baseline values registered 5 years previously. The patients had a mean age of 20.8 years and a median duration of diabetes of 10.0 years. PWV was significantly higher in the diabetes group compared with controls, mean 4.10 (SD = 4.58) vs. 3.90 (SD = 4.04) m/s, P = 0.045. In the diabetes group, insulin pump users at baseline had lower PWV than multiple injection users, mean 3.94 (SD = 0.38) vs. 4.23 (SD = 0.48) m/s, P = 0.028. Also in the diabetes group, multiple regression analysis identified C-reactive protein (CRP), female gender and insulin pump use as independent baseline risk factors for PWV 5 years later. There was no difference in cardiac function or LV mass between the diabetes and control groups. Conclusion In this prospective study, we found increased PWV assessed by CMR in young adults with T1D compared with controls. Also, CRP, female gender and insulin pump use emerged as independent baseline risk factors for PWV 5 years later.