Cardiovascular Risk Factor Progression in Adolescents and Young Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Background: Onset of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in youth confers a high risk of early adverse cardiovascular outcomes. We describe the cumulative incidence of hypertension, LDL-cholesterol dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and prevalence of smoking over time, and examine the relationships with body mass index and measures of glycemia, insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function in an adolescent cohort with T2D enrolled in the Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) study. Methods: Longitudinal data from the TODAY clinical trial and TODAY2 observational follow-up study were used to evaluate the relationships between hypertension, LDL-C dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and smoking with risk factors using time-to-event models and generalized estimating equation models. Findings: Data were available on 677 participants. Mean age at baseline was 14±2 years and mean follow-up 10·2±4·5 years. The 14-year cumulative incidence of hypertension, LDL-C dyslipidemia, and hypertriglyceridemia was 59%, 33%, and 37% respectively, and the average prevalence of reported smoking was 23%. Male sex, non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity, obesity, poor glycemic control, lower insulin sensitivity, and reduced beta-cell function were significantly associated with an unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile. After an average of 10·2 years of follow-up, 54% of the cohort had ≥2 cardiovascular risk factors in addition to T2D. Interpretation: Cardiovascular risk factor incidence and prevalence was high over a decade of follow-up in young adults with youth-onset T2D. Addressing glucose control and insulin sensitivity, as well as medical management of cardiovascular risk factors will be critical in youth with T2D for prevention of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00081328. Funding: United States National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. Declaration of Interest: None of the authors reported a conflict of interest. Ethical Approval: The TODAY and TODAY2 studies were approved by institutional review boards at all 15 centers and all participants and guardians provided written informed assent and/or consent as appropriate for age.