Markers of inflammation and microvascular complications in type 1 diabetes

Long-term hyperglycemia, characteristic for type 1 diabetes, causes enhanced oxidative stress, chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction which are the key events in the development of vascular complications. On the other hand, some data shows that existence of chronic degenerative complications may cause increased inflammatory marker levels in diabetic patients, mainly as a repercussion of malfunctioned endothelial repair process. Our study aims to determinate a degree of inflammation in type 1 diabetes patients and to investigate its relation to development of the chronic microvascular complications. General information, anthropometric, glucose metabolism, lipid and lipoprotein parameters, levels of C reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were analyzed and screening tests for detection of the chronic microvascular complications were conducted in 76 type 1 diabetes patients. Forty six patients had at least one of the complications. They were older and had longer duration of diabetes (p=0.015; p < 0.0001) and higher values of total (p=0.021), LDL-cholesterol (p=0.048) and triglycerides (p=0.002). Levels of CRP (p=0.004) and TNF-alpha (p=0.048) were higher in patients with chronic microvascular complications in regard to patients without diagnosed microangiopathy. Low grade chronic inflammation is characteristic for type 1 diabetes patients with developed chronic microvascular complications.