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Increased aortic stiffness index in patients with type 1 diabetes without cardiovascular disease compared to controls
G Zoppini1, C Bergamini2, M Trombetta3
1Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Piazzale Stefani, 1, 37126, Verona, Italy. giacomo.zoppini@univr.it.
Purpose:
Increased arterial stiffness is an early sign of endothelial dysfunction. Nevertheless, measures of the elastic properties of the aortic root in patients with type 1 diabetes are still lacking. The aim of this study was to compare aortic root stiffness index in type 1 diabetes and healthy controls.
Methods:
Ninety-three patients with type 1 diabetes without cardiovascular diseases were recruited and compared to 33 healthy controls. Aortic root elastic properties were estimated by measuring the systolic and diastolic diameters on M-mode acquisition.
Results:
None of the subjects showed alterations of either systolic or diastolic echocardiographic parameters. Patients with type 1 diabetes had a very low prevalence of chronic complications and their metabolic control was good. Significantly increased aortic stiffness index was found in type 1 diabetes compared to controls, and the same different pattern was found in men and women. The presence of type 1 diabetes and increased pulse pressure was significantly associated with aortic stiffness index in a multivariate linear analysis.
Conclusion:
This study strongly suggests that patients with type 1 diabetes develop aortic root stiffness in the absence of cardiovascular diseases. This alteration may be part of a more generalized arterial dysfunction in type 1 diabetes.
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