Bioelectrical Impedance Profiling to Estimate Neuropathic and Vascular Risk in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background/Objectives: Microvascular complications are a major source of disability in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We investigated whether body composition indices derived from multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) independently predict neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, and stroke, and whether they improve risk discrimination beyond the established clinical variables. Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study (March 2024-February 2025), 124 adults with T2DM ≥ 12 months attending the outpatient diabetes clinic of the Universidad Técnica de Ambato (Ecuador) were enrolled. After an overnight fast and 15 min supine rest, thirteen whole-body BIA metrics including skeletal muscle mass (SMM), intracellular water (ICW), phase angle (PhA), and visceral fat area (VFA) were obtained with a segmental analyzer (InBody S10). Complications were ascertained with standard clinical and laboratory protocols. Principal component analysis (PCA) summarized the correlated BIA measures; multivariable logistic regression (adjusted for age, sex, diabetes duration, HbA1c, BMI, and medication use) generated odds ratios (ORs) per standard deviation (SD). Discrimination was assessed with bootstrapped receiver-operating characteristic curves. Results: The first principal component, driven by SMM, ICW, and PhA, accounted for a median 68% (range 65-72%) of body composition variance across all complications. Each SD increase in SMM lowered the odds of neuropathy (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.41-0.71) and nephropathy (OR 0.70, 0.53-0.92), whereas VFA raised the risk of neuropathy (OR 1.55, 1.22-1.97) and retinopathy (OR 1.47, 1.14-1.88). PhA protected most strongly against stroke (OR 0.55, 0.37-0.82). Composite models integrating SMM, PhA, and adiposity indices achieved AUCs of 0.79-0.85, outperforming clinical models alone (all ΔAUC ≥ 0.05) and maintaining good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow p > 0.20). Optimal probability cut-offs (0.39-0.45) balanced sensitivity (0.74-0.80) and specificity (0.68-0.72). Conclusions: A lean tissue BIA signature (higher SMM, ICW, PhA) confers independent protection against neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, and stroke, whereas visceral adiposity amplifies the risk. Because the assessment is rapid, inexpensive, and operator-independent, routine multifrequency BIA can be embedded into diabetes clinics to triage patients for early specialist referral and to monitor interventions aimed at preserving muscle and reducing visceral fat, thereby enhancing microvascular risk management in T2DM.