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High circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is related to a better systolic function in diabetic

Gianluca Iacobellis1, Rosalba Cipriani, Annarita Gabriele

  • 1Endocrinology, Department of Clinical Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. gianluca.iaco@tin.it

Cytokine
|June 23, 2004
PubMed

Insights

High vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels correlate with better heart function in diabetic hypertensive patients. VEGF may improve cardiac performance in diabetes, despite cardiac remodeling.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Endocrinology
  • Neovascularization Biology

Background:

  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is implicated in cardiac microcirculation.
  • Limited data exist on VEGF's impact on cardiac function and morphology in diabetic patients.
  • This study investigates VEGF's influence on cardiac performance in type 2 diabetic hypertensive individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that circulating VEGF levels affect cardiac performance in patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
  • To explore the relationship between VEGF levels and cardiac structure and function in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 30 patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension, and 10 hypertensive non-diabetic controls.
  • Exclusion criteria: severe cardiac, retinal, renal, or peripheral vascular damage.
  • VEGF plasma levels were measured using ELISA, and echocardiographic parameters were assessed.

Main Results:

  • Diabetic patients exhibited significantly higher VEGF plasma levels compared to controls (median 82 vs. 50.5 pg/mL, p=0.05).
  • VEGF levels correlated with relative wall thickness (RWT) and systolic parameters in diabetic patients.
  • RWT and ejection fraction (EF) were identified as independent correlates of VEGF (r²=0.274, p=0.03 and p=0.05, respectively).

Conclusions:

  • Elevated VEGF plasma levels are associated with improved systolic function in diabetic hypertensive patients with cardiac remodeling.
  • VEGF may play a beneficial role in enhancing cardiac performance in the context of diabetes.
Abstract

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