Effects of co-existing autoimmune diseases on serum lipids and lipoprotein subclasses profile in paediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Objective Paediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) frequently develop other autoimmune disorders; most commonly autoimmune thyroiditis (ATD) and celiac disease (CD). In this study we evaluated whether co-existing autoimmune diseases had significant impact on lipid and lipoprotein subclasses, as known cardiovascular risk factors in T1DM. Design and methods Study included 201 subjects with T1DM (14.1 ± 2.9 years) and 141 age- and gender-matched controls. ATD was presented in 30 and CD in 15 T1DM patients. Serum lipid parameters were determined by routine laboratory methods and plasma low-density (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subclasses by gradient-gel electrophoresis method. Results Both groups of T1DM patients with concomitant autoimmune disease had significantly lower HDL-C levels (P  Conclusions The results have shown significant impact of co-existing autoimmune diseases on lipid profile in patients with T1DM. The most prominent changes were found in HDL lipoprotein characteristics in T1DM + CD group.