Serum lipids and apolipoproteins in children with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes during the first two years of the disease.

Serum lipoproteins and apolipoproteins were studied at diagnosis and 6, 12 and 24 months later in 30 consecutive children aged 3-15 years with newly detected Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (December 1982-October 1984) and in 44 healthy control children. Serum triglycerides at diagnosis were significantly higher than after 6-24 months and also higher than in the control group (p less than 0.001). At follow-up, triglycerides in the very low density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins were restored to normal, while high density lipoprotein triglycerides remained high. Serum cholesterol at onset of diabetes was significantly higher than in the control children (p less than 0.01), mainly because of increased very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p less than 0.001). Cholesterol in serum and in the serum lipoprotein fractions was similar to that in the control children at follow-up, except that high density lipoprotein cholesterol was higher in the diabetic children after 6 months. The concentrations of the serum apolipoproteins A-I, A-II and B were higher at onset of diabetes than in the control children (p less than 0.001, p less than 0.01, p less than 0.05 respectively), with a significantly increased ratio of apolipoprotein A-I to A-II in the diabetic children (p less than 0.001). The serum apolipoprotein concentrations were normalised during treatment. The ratio of apolipoprotein A-I to B did not differ from that in control children. On admission, there were strong positive correlations between HbA1c and the concentrations of the very low density lipoproteins and the low density and high density lipoprotein triglycerides.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)