Impact of Changes in HbA1c, BMI Changes on Lipids Increases as Children Age

HealthDay News — As children age, the impact of changes in HbA1c and BMI on LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol levels increases, according to a study published in Diabetes Care.

Michelle L. Katz, MD, MPH, from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, and colleagues conducted a dynamic, retrospective study examining changes in lipid values in 572 young people with type 1 diabetes followed longitudinally for a median of 9.3 years. After adjustment for other relevant factors, the relationship between HbA1c and BMI z score (zBMI) on lipid values was described as participants aged.

The researchers found that each 1% increase in HbA1c correlated with a 2 to 6 mg/dL increase in LDL levels; as subjects progressed from pre- to postpubertal age ranges the increase was greater. When subjects were 10 years old, a 1 standard deviation increase in BMI correlated with a mean LDL increase of 2.1 mg/dL, compared with a mean increase of 8.2 mg/dL when subjects were 19 years old. Similar correlations were seen for HbA1c level and zBMI changes and variation in non-HDL levels. A small influence was seen for HBA1c and zBMI on HDL levels, which was not dependent on age.

“Changes in HbA1c level and zBMI modestly impact LDL and non-HDL cholesterol and have greater impacts as children age,” the researchers wrote.

Reference

1. Katz ML, Kollman CR, Dougher CE, Mubasher M, Laffel LMB. Influence of HbA1c and BMI on lipid trajectories in youths and young adults with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2016 Oct 20. doi:10.2337/dc16-0430.