Endothelial function metric may predict CV events among asymptomatic adults with type 2 diabetes
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Adults with type 2 diabetes who went on to experience a major adverse cardiovascular event had decreased flow-mediated dilation, which may indicate worse endothelial function, according to findings published in Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews.
“In this explorative prospective pilot study, we show that the impairment of endothelial function was associated with an increased rate of cardiovascular events at medium-term follow-up in type 2 diabetes patients without any evidence of cardiovascular disease,” Gaetano A. Lanza, MD, an associate professor at the Institute of Cardiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, and colleagues wrote. “Flow-mediated dilation, indeed, was significantly lower in patients who developed major adverse CV events.”
Lanza and colleagues measured flow-mediated dilation in the right brachial artery for 61 adults with type 2 diabetes who were not prescribed insulin. The researchers defined flow-mediated dilation “as the maximum percent change of the brachial artery diameter during forearm hyperemia compared with the basal diameter” and noted that this metric was used to determine endothelial function. The researchers followed individuals in the cohort for 4 years and recorded major adverse CV events.
The researchers observed 10 major adverse CV events among 10 participants (mean age, 64 years; 20% women) while the remaining 51 participants did not experience a major adverse CV event (mean age, 62 years; 27.4% women).
Participants who experienced a major adverse CV event had an average baseline flow-mediated dilation of 3.78% while participants who did not experience a major adverse CV event averaged 4.7% (P = .04). During follow-up, participants who experienced a major adverse CV event had an average flow-mediated dilation of 3.66% while participants who did not experience a major adverse CV event averaged 4.85% (P = .006).
“Flow-mediated dilation values at follow-up were similar to those detected at enrollment in both subgroups of patients, thus suggesting a more severe chronic impairment of endothelial function in type 2 diabetes patients who developed major adverse CV events,” the researchers wrote. “Accordingly, our data suggest that the assessment of flow-mediated dilation might be helpful to identify patients at a higher risk of major adverse CV events.” – by Phil Neuffer
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts