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Early manifestations of non-atherosclerotic cardiomyopathy, a recognized complication of diabetes in adults, have been suggested to contribute to depressed levels of aerobic fitness described in children and adolescents with this disease. This study measured components of aerobic fitness and cardiovascular function during maximal cycle ergometer exercise in 11 insulin-dependent diabetic boys aged 10.2-16.5 years. Mean duration of diabetes was 4.5 years. Eleven non-diabetic subjects matched for age, body size, and regular physical activity served as controls. No differences in maximal oxygen uptake or heart rate were observed between the two groups, nor were any significant differences recorded in submaximal stroke volume, cardiac output, heart rate, and pressure-rate product. This study failed to reveal any evidence of functional myocardial disease in children and young adolescents with diabetes, suggesting that manifestations of diabetic cardiomyopathy should not be expected during the pediatric years. Moreover, these findings indicating normal cardiovascular function in young diabetic subjects imply that regular levels of habitual physical activity are more likely to affect aerobic fitness in these patients rather than influences of the diabetic state itself.

Adjustment of VO2max for changes in body size is important in evaluating aerobic fitness in children. It is important, therefore, to understand the normal relationship between changes VO2max and body size during growth. Over the course of 5 years, 20 children (11 boys, 9 girls) underwent annual maximal treadmill testing to determine VO2max. The mean longitudinal allometric scaling exponent for VO2max relative to body mass (M) was 1.10 ± 0.30 in the boys and 0.78 ± 0.28 in the girls (p < .05). Respective cross-sectional values were 0.53 ± 0.08 and 0.65 ± 0.03. VO2max expressed relative to M1.0, M0.75, and M0.67 rose during the 5 years in the boys, but not the girls. Significant gender differences remained when VO2max was related to lean body mass. These findings suggest (a) factors other than body size affect the development of VO2max in children, and (b) gender differences exist in VO2max during childhood which are independent of body composition.