Review of cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of paediatric type 1 diabetes mellitus patients

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a recognised risk factor for cardiometabolic disease. Other risk factors include age, gender, family history, glycaemic control, dyslipidaemia, weight, and activity levels. Aims: To estimate the point prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors in a paediatric population with T1DM. Methods: Eighty-one patients with T1DM aged between 10 and 16 years attended during the study and 56 (69.1 %) patients agreed to participate. Mixed methods data collection included a questionnaire developed for this study, supplemented by retrospective and prospective data collected from the patient records. Results: Of 56 subjects with T1DM, aged 12.7 ± 1.7 years (10–16 years) 26 were male and 30 were female. Mean HbA1c was 72 ± 14 mmol/mol. 53 subjects (94.6 %) had at least one additional cardiometabolic risk factor. Conclusions: Cardiometabolic risk factors are present in this population with T1DM. Identifying cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescent T1DM patients is the first step in prevention of future morbidity and mortality.