Grant: Project Grant

Heart disease is a major complication of type 1 diabetes, a life-long disease usually diagnosed in childhood that has no cure. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and kills cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that enables cells to use nutrients for energy. Without insulin, blood sugar levels become elevated and this can cause damage to organs and blood vessels. Historically, heart disease complications in type 1 diabetes were considered an adult problem. However, our work and that of others have shown that damage to blood vessels is already present in children with type 1 diabetes. This suggests that heart disease is occurring much earlier in the disease. The goal of this project is to determine the factors that cause the damage to the blood vessels in children with type 1 diabetes and to identify ways to improve the health of blood vessels in these children and reduce the risk for heart disease.