Correlation between Diastolic Function and Endothelial Function in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Endocrinology
• Diabetology

Background:

• Endothelial dysfunction is implicated in cardiac abnormalities in diabetes mellitus (DM).
• While a link between endothelial and diastolic dysfunction exists in type 1 DM, it's less studied in type 2 DM.
• Hypertension exacerbates cardiovascular risks in diabetic patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare endothelial function in type 2 diabetic patients with and without diastolic dysfunction.
• To investigate correlations between endothelial function and diastolic function indexes.
• To assess endothelial function using flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in this patient group.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 34 patients (40-70 years) with type 2 DM and hypertension.
• Patients categorized into normal (14) and abnormal (20) diastolic function groups via Doppler echocardiography.
• Endothelial function assessed using brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD).

Main Results:

• Mean maximum FMD was significantly lower in patients with diastolic dysfunction (7.15 ± 2.80%) compared to those with normal function (11.85 ± 4.77%).
• Significant correlations were found between maximum FMD and E/e' ratio (p=0.040, r=-0.354).
• Maximum FMD also correlated with early wave velocity (e') at the lateral mitral annulus (p=0.002, r=0.509).

Conclusions:

• Endothelial function, assessed by FMD, is impaired in hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients with diastolic dysfunction.
• The study confirms correlations between diastolic and endothelial function indexes in this population.
• Findings highlight the clinical relevance of assessing endothelial function in diabetic patients with hypertension and diastolic dysfunction.