Cardiovascular complications of diabetes in children

Diabetes in children is a chronic disease with serious consequences for the child, their family, and healthcare professionals. Significant exposure to hyperglycemia over a prolonged period during childhood and adolescence can lead to the development of chronic complications in young adults. The increased cardiovascular risk in children with type 1 diabetes is widely recognized. Atheromatous lesions can develop early in diabetic children, and atherosclerosis is much more common and severe in diabetics than in the general population. Given this observation, it is imperative to consider macroangiopathy early on, achieve good glycemic control and control known cardiovascular risk factors, and implement early cardiovascular monitoring. These complications are not inevitable and it is therefore possible to intervene effectively to prevent them, but despite the fact that these patients are at high risk of cardiovascular disease, few diabetes-specific recommendations for screening are available, particularly in children.