title: Diabetes mellitus: is it protective against aortic root dilatation?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is evidence of a negative association between diabetes and both abdominal aortic aneurysm and aortic diameter. However, little information is available on the relation between diabetes and aortic root diameter.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 109 patients with type 2 diabetes. Two-dimensional echocardiography was used to measure the aortic root at the aortic annulus, the sinus of Valsalva, the sinotubular junction and the proximal part of the ascending aorta. Measured mean values were compared with 218 age- and sex-matched patients without diabetes. A comparison of the prevalence of aortic regurgitation between the 2 groups was also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients with diabetes, the mean aortic root dimensions were significantly smaller than in nondiabetic patients (p < 0.05). The prevalence of aortic root dilatation was significantly higher in nondiabetic subjects than in patients with diabetes (9.63 vs. 2.75%; p = 0.025). In the multivariable regression model, diabetes was a significant negative determinant of aortic root size at all measured sites. The prevalence of aortic regurgitation tended to be higher in nondiabetic subjects than in diabetic participants (11 vs. 18.8%); however, the difference did not achieve statistical significance (p = 0.071).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with diabetes, the aortic root dimension is significantly smaller than in patients without diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, No. 2 Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jian-An
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xian-Fang
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Li-Jiang
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Wei-Fang
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiao-Jie
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Jian-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Xiao-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001011:Aorta / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution