6.3 ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOW-DENSITY NON-CALCIFIED CORONARY PLAQUES IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES AND HEALTHY CONTROLS

Abstract

Background: Arterial stiffness may provide non-invasive information about cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. We investigated the association between arterial stiffness and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy controls. Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes and controls were recruited from an on-going study on diabetes complications. Arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [PWV]) was obtained by applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor®, Australia) whereas volumes [mm3] of total [TP], calcified [CP], non-calcified [NCP], and low density non-calcified coronary plaques [LD-NCP]) were obtained by coronary CT-angiography and analyzed by semi-automative software (Autoplaq®, USA). A two-part model was used to describe the association between PWV and 1) the presence of plaques in all participants and 2) the extent of plaques in participants with coronary atherosclerosis. Results: PWV and coronary atherosclerosis data were available for 49 patients and 63 controls (age 63±10 years, 49% males, diabetes duration 7.7±1.5 years). Patients had higher PWV than controls (9.6±2.4m/s vs. 8.4±1.8m/s, p<0.01). PWV was associated with the presence of plaques in crude analysis (odds ratio per 1m/s increase in PWV: TP 1.5, p<0.01, CP 1.4 p<0.01, NCP 1.4 p<0.01 and LD-NCP 1.3 p=0.03) but not in analysis adjusted for age, sex, blood pressure, and diabetes. In the presence of coronary plaques, PWV was associated with the extent of LDNCP (crude: 1.2 mm3/m/s, p<0.01 adjusted: 1.2mm3/m/s, p=0.02). Conclusion: The presence and the extent of coronary atherosclerosis is associated with PWV in patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy controls.