New Study On Clogged Carotid Arteries And Type 1 Diabetes: Atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries is a buildup of plaque in either the right or left carotid artery, located at the sides on the neck going up to the head. These carotid arteries supply oxygenated blood to the head and neck and are vital for survival. When either of these arteries becomes clogged with plaque, this blood flow to the head and neck can be stopped, and a stroke or a mini-stroke occurs, which could impact a person’s life forever. Usually, the buildup of plaque in the carotid arteries occurs over a period of time.
Research data from a study that is part of THE SEARCH CVD study, which is a collaborative effort between Colorado School of Public Health and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, indicated that their study of 162 people between the ages of 17 and 23 (78 percent with Type 1 diabetes and the remainder were the control group) reflected that these diabetic patients had both thicker and stiffer carotids than the control group. These results adjusted for age, race, sex and lipids. The volunteers in the research program were adolescents and young adults with Type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is when the pancreas no longer produces insulin and can only be treated with artificial insulin. For some unknown reason, the Islets of Langerhans within the pancreas simply stop producing insulin or doesn’t produce enough. The only treatment for Type 1 diabetes is insulin.
This new information is another incentive for tight control of the blood sugar levels, not an easy thing to do, but very important. Blood sugar levels are affected by ingested food, exercise and the injection of insulin. This is a balancing act that takes dedication and hard work.
Elaine Urbina, M.D., a cardiologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, presented the research at the meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego, California, in June of 2011. Urbina was loosely quoted as stating that there are “news tools for the early detection of cardiac and artery problems in young people with Type 1 diabetes.” With this new information that was garnered from the research, new therapies can be put in place to improve those blood sugar levels, thereby reducing the cardiovascular risk factors. As a result, there could be an improvement in the cardiovascular outcome for people with Type 1 diabetes.
It has long been known that Type 1 diabetes, formerly referred to as juvenile diabetes mellitus, usually strikes when people are of a younger age. With early monitoring of cholesterol levels (a known cause of the buildup of plaque in the arteries), and treatment when these elevated levels are detected, there could be a better outcome for some with Type 1 diabetes in regards to the heart and carotid arteries. As well, buildup of plaque in the arteries is easily detected by the use of an ultrasound run over the arteries to detect any buildup that might be occurring.
These new findings from the research may lead to closer monitoring in the younger people at a younger age for artery plaque buildup.