About 1/3rd of north Indian patients less than 50 years of age with type 2 diabetes have high pulse wave velocity indicating high risk of atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Asian Indian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a high cardiovascular risk even at young age. There is a need to assess this increased risk and identify atherosclerosis early so that appropriate measures for risk reduction can be taken. We aimed to study carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (Cf-PWV), a non-invasive indicator of atherosclerosis, in patients with diabetes below 50 years of age and its correlation with markers of obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors.

METHODS

Patients (n, 299) with T2DM below 50 years of age underwent measurement of Cf-PWV by applanation tonometry. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, liver span, glycosylated hemoglobin, serum lipid profile, urinary microalbumin, ankle brachial index and carotid intima media thickness were measured.

RESULTS

Data show that 32.4% of patients had high Cf-PWV, with mean values higher in males than females. On stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, the significant independent determinants of PWV were age, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, microalbumin and liver span.

CONCLUSION

About one third patients with T2DM less than 50 years of age, in north India have increased arterial stiffness which correlates with blood pressure, abdominal obesity, liver size and microalbumin, indicating increased risk for coronary artery disease.

Associations between normal range albuminuria, renal function and cardiovascular function in a population-based imaging study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

In patients with impaired renal function and macroalbuminuria, cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent, however, whether this is also present in the general population is unclear. We investigated whether normal-range albuminuria and renal function are associated with cardiovascular function in the general population.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional analysis of the NEO study, urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and intima-media thickness were assessed in all participants (n = 6503), and a random subset underwent MRI for pulse wave velocity (n = 2451) and/or cardiac imaging (n = 1138).

RESULTS

Multiple linear regression analysis was performed while adjusting for sex, age, smoking, mean arterial blood pressure, total body fat, and fasting glucose. After adjustment, albuminuria and renal function were positively associated with left ventricle (LV) mass index (UACR, 0.941 g/m² [95% CI: 0.21,1.67] p = 0.012; eGFR, 0.748 g/m² [95% CI: 0.15,1.35] p = 0.015) and LV cardiac index (UACR, 0.056 L/min/m² [95% CI: 0.00,0.11] p = 0.038; eGFR, 0.080 L/min/m² [95% CI: 0.03,0.13] p = 0.001). Albuminuria showed a weak association with arterial thickness (UACR, 0.003 mm [95% CI: 0.00,0.01] p = 0.015) and arterial stiffness (UACR, 0.073 m/s [95% CI: 0.01,0.13] p = 0.036), but not with renal function. No associations were observed for LV ejection fraction and LV diastolic function.

CONCLUSIONS

Normal-range albuminuria was positively associated with LV mass index, LV cardiac index, arterial thickness and arterial stiffness. Our findings support the hypothesis that even within normal range, albuminuria is a marker of cardiovascular health.