Association between common carotid artery intima-media thickness and proteinuria in type 2 diabetic patients

Proteinuria is the most reliable marker of diabetic nephropathy and an index of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular mortality in diabetic patients. In addition, common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a sensitive marker of early atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between proteinuria and CIMT in type 2 diabetic patients.

In a cross-sectional study, 154 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled. The CIMT was measured for all of the patients by one researcher. The 24-hour urine protein was measured using trichloroacetic acid method.

A total of 154 type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled with a mean diabetes mellitus duration of 8.91 ± 6.99 years (95 women and 55 men). The mean urinary protein in the patients was 294.70 ± 525.85 mg/24 h. The mean CIMT in all of the patients was 0.84 ± 0.19 mm, and it was greater in the men than in the women (P = .03). The CIMT significantly correlated with patients' age (P < .001), systolic blood pressure (P < .001), and urinary protein excretion (P = .001). There was a marginal positive correlation between diabetes mellitus duration and the CIMT (P = .049).

This study showed a significant association between CIMT, as a sensitive marker of macrovascular complication of diabetes mellitus, and proteinuria as an important index of microvascular complication of the disease.