Type 1 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Exploring a Complex Relationship.

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is responsible for the increased cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. Few studies have focused on MS in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Aim: To describe the clinical, biochemical and therapeutic characteristics of T1DM patients affected by MS.

Methods: A retrospective study was carried out. It included 36 patients, suffering from T1DM and MS, hospitalized in the Endocrinology-Diabetology Department of the Hédi Chaker University Hospital of Sfax-Tunisia, from 1997 to 2020. MS was defined according to the NCEP-ATP III criteria.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 53 years. The mean duration of diabetes was 15 years. The MS appeared after a mean duration of diabetes of 13.7 years. Hypertension was reported in 21 patients (58.3%). The mean BMI was 26 kg/m2. The mean total cholesterol level was 4.59 mmol/l ±1.18, and the mean triglycerides level was 1.67 mmol/l ±0.81. The mean HDL-cholesterol level was 0.96 mmol/l ±0.29. In the majority of cases (80%), MS was the combination of dyslipidemia, hypertension and diabetes. Therapeutically, the average dose of insulin used was 0.8 IU/kg/day. The combination of metformin was necessary in 18 cases (50%). Microvascular complications were present in all patients. The cardiovascular risk was very high in all patients.

Conclusion: The prevalence of MS during T1DM is increasing. It indicates an increased risk of micro and macrovascular complications.