A case-control study of cardiovascular parasympathetic function tests in offsprings of type 2 diabetes mellitus parents

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) has a strong genetic component. Individuals of a parent with type 2 DM have an increased (40%) risk of diabetes. If both parents have type 2 DM, the risk approaches to 70%. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate cardiovascular parasympathetic functions in offsprings of type 2 diabetic parents. Aims and Objectives: Study was done to compare and observe the degree of changes (if any) in the cardiovascular parasympathetic function tests in the offsprings of diabetic parents (cases) with offsprings of non-diabetic parents (controls) and provides timely lifestyle modifications to prevent the development of diabetes and its complications. Materials and Methods: The cardiovascular parasympathetic function tests were carried out in 50 healthy offsprings of type 2 diabetic parents (study group) and 50 healthy offsprings of non-diabetic parents (control group) in the age range of 18-25 years randomly selected medical and para-medical students. Statistical analysis was done by unpaired Student’s t-test. Results: Study shows decrease in all the three parasympathetic function tests (heart rate variability in response to deep breathing, heart rate variation in response to standing, and valsalva maneuver) in offsprings of type 2 diabetic parents (cases) as compared to non-diabetic parents (controls). However, the results were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Our observations indicate that genetic factors in the form of altered genes could pass from diabetic parents to their offsprings and could manifest as altered response in parasympathetic function tests in healthy offsprings of diabetic parents even before the offsprings developing diabetes.