ESPE Abstracts

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with left ventricular geometry and hypertrophy and larger end-systolic diameters and worse left ventricular function in animals and humans.

Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study was to investigate any possible association between vitamin D levels and geometry of left ventricle (LV) in youngsters with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Method: 58 youngsters with T1DM with mean age 14.0±2.5 (range 7–19 years) were included in the study. Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was calculated by an echocardiographic study. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was defined as the LVMI>39.36 g/m 2.7 in boys and >36.88 g/m 2.7 in girls according to recommendations of the European Society of Hypertension and the patients were divided in two groups accordingly. Anthropometric measurements including BMI as well as arterial blood pressure (BP). HbA1c was used to evaluate glycemic control. Serum vitamin D levels were measured in all patients and values >30 ng/ml l were considered as normal.

Results: Patients with LVH presented lower levels of vitamin D (20±8.0 vs 23.7±8.4) in comparison with those without LVH, however this difference did not reach the level of statistical significance (P=0.463). No difference in age (13±3.5 vs 14.1±2.3, P=0.418), HbA1c (8.3±0.7 vs 8.2±1.5, P=0.929), systolic (115.2±10.8 vs 115.3±10.5, P=0.965) and diastolic (66±10.8 vs 65±8.9, P=0.758) BP was also observed between the two studied groups. Higher values of BMI tended to be associated with increased LVMI and LVH (23.1±3.2 vs 20.9±3.8, P=0.083).

Conclusion: LVH is already present in young patients with T1DM regardless of serum vitamin D levels. Although T1DM patients are not obese, increased BMI remains in association with LVH.