Relationship between carotid artery intima-media thickness and atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis in type 2 diabetes with hypertension.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the relation between intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery and atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) > or =50% (one or both renal arteries) in type 2 diabetic patients with hypertension.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective study of type 2 diabetic patients with hypertension who underwent magnetic resonance angiography or digital subtraction angiography for renal artery stenosis at the National Cardiovascular Center or at the Nagasaki Municipal Medical Center between May 1999 and May 2001. Renal artery stenosis was defined as a narrowing of the artery to at least 50% of normal. Thirty type 2 diabetic patients with hypertension (17 men and 13 women, mean age 65.4 +/- 7.6 years) were identified and divided into two groups: those with ARAS in one or both renal arteries (n = 15) and those without ARAS (n = 15). We used high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography to measure the IMT of the common carotid artery.


RESULTS
With and without ARAS were 9 men and 6 women (mean age 65.0 +/- 7.6 years) and 8 men and 7 women (mean age 65.7 +/- 6.8 years), respectively. The IMT of the carotid artery was significantly greater in patients with ARAS than in patients without ARAS (1.07 +/- 0.10 vs. 0.84 +/- 0.12 mm, p < 0.01). However, the only clinical findings that statistically significantly differed were systolic blood pressure and plasma renin activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that the measurement of the IMT of the carotid artery may be useful as a noninvasive screening method for the defection of ARAS even in asymptomatic type 2 diabetic patients.
Horita
Yoshio
Y
Division of Hypertension and Nephrology, Department of Medicine, National Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan. y-horita@h8.dion.ne.jp
Tadokoro
Masato
M
Taura
Kouichi
K
Mishima
Yoko
Y
Miyazaki
Masanobu
M
Kohno
Shigeru
S
Kawano
Yuhei
Y
D000368:Aged; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012078:Renal Artery Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*