Correlation between type of diabetes and arterial stiffness in adult patients

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) can induce changes in different arterial territories and is associated with the development of cardiovascular consequences. The pathophysiological mechanism underlying these associations has not yet been fully elucidated in the literature. However, arterial stiffness may be an important pathway linking DM to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This work aims to verify a correlation between DM type and arterial stiffness in patients diagnosed in adulthood. Ninety diabetic patients aged 54.1 ± 9.3 years were allocated into 2 groups: patients with type 1 DM (T1DM; n=30) and type 2 (T2DM; n=60). Anthropometric parameters as well as arterial stiffness were evaluated using the pulse wave velocity (PWV) method. There was a longer duration of diabetes (p=0.007), lower body mass (p=0.034), BMI (p=0.007) and waist circumference (p<0.001) in patients with T1DM compared to T2DM. A higher PWV rate (p<0.001) was observed in T1DM patients when compared to T2DM. Analyzing together or separately regarding the etiology of DM, it was observed that the higher the HbA1c concentration (>8%) the higher the PWV values (p<0.05). A positive correlation was observed between PWV and patients' age (r=0.89; p<0.001), duration of diabetes (r=0.71; p<0.001) and HbA1c (r=0.70; p <0.001). Individuals with T1DM had greater arterial stiffness when compared to T2DM, and these changes were associated with greater metabolic dysfunction in this population.