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Updated: May 11, 2026

Assessing Endothelial Vasodilator Function with the Endo-PAT 2000
Published on: October 15, 2010
Impaired endothelial function is not associated with arterial stiffness in adults with type 1 diabetes
G Llauradó1, V Ceperuelo-Mallafré, C Vilardell
1Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital of Sabadell, Corporació Sanitària i Universitària Parc Taulí (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), 08208 Sabadell, Spain.
Aim:
This study investigated the relationship between endothelial dysfunction (ED) and arterial stiffness (AS) in adults with type 1 diabetes and no clinical cardiovascular (CV) disease.
Methods:
A total of 68 patients with type 1 diabetes and 68 age- and gender-matched healthy (non-diabetic) subjects were evaluated. ED was assessed by reactive hyperaemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) and by serum concentrations of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and E-selectin. AS was assessed by aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV). All statistical analyses were stratified by gender.
Results:
Adults with type 1 diabetes had RH-PAT index scores similar to those of their matching controls [men: 1.55 (1.38-1.98)% versus 1.61 (1.40-2.17)%, P=0.556; women: 2.07 (1.55-2.31)% versus 2.08 (1.79-2.49)%; P=0.215]. However, after adjusting for potential confounders, type 1 diabetes emerged as the main determinant of the RH-PAT index in women. Also, differences between genders in both the controls and type 1 diabetes patients disappeared. Men with diabetes had higher serum concentrations of E-selectin, and women had higher serum concentrations of sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and E-selectin than their respective controls. However, after adjusting for potential confounders, only the differences in sICAM-1 (women) and E-selectin (both genders) remained significant. No association was found between aPWV and the RH-PAT index and ED markers after adjusting for CV risk factors.
Conclusion:
ED was increased in adults with type 1 diabetes compared with age-matched non-diabetic subjects. Also, gender differences in ED were lost in type 1 diabetes. However, ED was not associated with AS after adjusting for potential confounders. These findings suggest that ED occurs earlier than AS in type 1 diabetes.
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