Prevalence of Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Aims: The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, overweight, hypertension and sedentary lifestyle as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. Methods: Adolescents (10-18 years) with type 1 diabetes participated in the study. Socioeconomic, demographic, biochemical data of glycemic control and lipid profile, blood pressure, anthropometric measurements and physical activity were collected. For the variables with normal distribution, the means and standard deviation were calculated. Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test (p <0.05) were used for the categorical variables. Results: 45 adolescents (55.6% female) with a mean age of 13.7 years (SD ± 2,292) participated. Most participants had hyperglycemia (81% and 95% with fasting glycaemia and increased glycated hemoglobin, respectively). The high concentration of LDL cholesterol was present in 20% of the participants. 19% had arterial hypertension, with 6% of excess weight and 22% with cardiovascular risk assessed by waist circumference. Almost half of the adolescents did not practice any physical activity. Conclusion: Adolescents with type 1 diabetes in the study had a high prevalence of risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases.