Oxidative status and its relationship with glycemic state in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Background Diabetes represents one of the most common diseases in school-aged children. Poor glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) usually leads to more oxidative stress, increased production of oxygen-free radicals, and more diabetic complications. Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the development of diabetes complications, both microvascular and cardiovascular. The metabolic abnormalities of diabetes cause mitochondrial superoxide overproduction in endothelial cells of both large and small vessels and also in the myocardium. Aim The aim of the current study was to assess the oxidative status and its relationship with glycemic state of T1DM in children. Patients and methods This was a case–control study conducted on 50 children. The first group enrolled 30 children aged 2–12 years of both sexes with T1DM selected from patients attending the outpatient clinic of endocrinology unit of Mansoura University Children’s Hospital in the period between December 2020 and December 2021 and were compared with 20 age-matched and sex-matched children who served as healthy controls. Results The malondialdehyde (MDA) and MDA/total antioxidant capacity ratio were significantly increased among cases compared with the control group. MDA and MDA/total antioxidant capacity ratio could be used as reliable predictors for differentiating between cases and controls with high sensitivity and specificity. However, they could not be used as a reliable indicator for differentiation between cases with microalbuminuria from case without. Oxidant/antioxidant status seemed to be significantly increased among cases with poor diabetic control followed by controlled diabetic group and lastly the healthy control group. Conclusion Cases with T1DM were associated with a significant increase in oxidative stress, especially in poor controlled ones. Additionally, oxidative stress markers could be used as valid markers for T1DM.