Endocrine Abstracts

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of blood pressure alterations with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and its association with proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and VEGFα) in normotensive and normoalbuminuric patients with type 1 diabetes (TDM1).

Patients and methods: Cross-sectional study including normotensive and normoalbuminuric patients with TDM1. Altered ABPM was considered when: 1) Mean systolic pressure (sBP) was greater than 130 mmHg in the 24 h and daytime periods and greater than 120 mmHg in the night-time period and/or mean diastolic pressure (dBP) greater than 80 or 70 mmHg in the same periods respectively, and/or 2) More than 50% of the readings were higher than the defined previous criteria, and/or 3) Nocturnal fall in either sBP or dBP was lower than 10% (non-dippers). Serum cytokines levels, including IL-6 and VEGF-α, were measured using Procarta® Immunoassays (Affymetrix).

Results: Eighty-five type 1 diabetic patients (55% women) aged 27.9±6.1 years with a disease duration of 12.3±6.5 years. 32% presented mean sBP or dBP altered during daytime, 32% more than 50% of pathological readings during daytime and 41.6% (n:36) were non-dippers. Significant correlation was detected between IL-6 and 24 h dBP (r: 0.17, P: 0.02), 50% of 24 h dBP high (r: 0.15, P: 0.04) and daytime dBP (r: 0.16, P: 0.03). There was also a statistically significant correlation between VEGFα and 24 h sBP (r: 0.19, P: 0.006), 24 h dBP (r: 0.24, P: 0.002), 50% of 24 h sBP (r: 0.2, P: 0.009), 50% of 24 h dBP (r: 0.21, P: 0.06) and daytime sBP (r: 0.22, P: 0.005). Mean values of both cytokines did not differ between dipper and non dipper patients.

Conclusion: Altered ABPM is prevalent in normotensive and normoalbuminuric patients with type 1 diabetes and related to proinflammatory cytokines. Prospective studies should evaluate if proinflammatory cytokines play a role in hypertension development in this type of patients.