November - 10 - 2009
Type 1 diabetes in young people is associated with marked changes of indirect autonomic indices, such as reduced baroreflex gain and increased slow frequency oscillations of systolic arterial pressure (SAP), according to a new study. In a study of the early cardiac and vascular autonomic dysfunction that may complicate type 1 diabetes, researchers examined 93 young patients under insulin treatment; 68 healthy children served as a reference group. When at rest, SAP and the power of its low-frequency component were greater in patients than in the control group, especially in the younger participants. Baroreflex gain was significantly lower in the patients, and a repeat study one year later showed a progression in low-frequency oscillations of SAP. Data suggests simultaneous impairment of vagal cardiac control and increases of sympathetic vasomotor regulation. "Given the well-known beneficial effects of exercise training on these disturbances in adults affected by imporant cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, and congestive heart failure, it may be hypothesized that, also in children with T1DM, exercise, eventually combined with other functional treatments, such as deep breathing or relaxation, might represent a useful adjunct to standard therapy," the authors suggested.