Patients with type two diabetes mellitus: increased local inflammatory activation in culprit atheromatous plaques

Diabetes mellitus (DM) predisposes to coronary artery disease (CAD). The progression of CAD has recently come to be regarded as an inflammatory activation. Thermography detects local inflammatory involvement as heat generation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with CAD and DM have increased local heat generation compared to non-diabetic patients.

We enrolled 45 patients with DM and 63 non-diabetic patients who were undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions. The two groups were matched for age, type of clinical syndrome, statin and aspirin intake and angiographic stenosis (%). Coronary thermography was performed and the temperature difference (deltaT) between the atherosclerotic plaque and the proximal vessel wall was measured.

Patients with DM had increased deltaT compared to non-diabetic patients (deltaT: 0.17 +/- 0.18 degrees C vs. 0.09 +/- 0.02 degrees C, p = 0.01). Patients with DM and acute coronary syndromes (ACS)(n=21) had increased deltaT compared to non-diabetic patients (n=22) (deltaT: 0.29 +/- 0.31 degrees C vs. 0.15 +/- 0.21 degrees C, p = 0.02). Similarly, patients with DM and stable angina (SA) had a higher deltaT than non-diabetics with SA (deltaT: 0.09 +/- 0.08 degrees C vs. 0.05 +/- 0.04 degrees C, p = 0.006).

Patients with DM have increased deltaT compared to non-diabetic patients.