Diabetes mellitus: is it protective against aortic root dilatation?
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.
Chen
Xiao-Feng
XF
Division of Cardiology, No. 2 Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, PR China.
Wang
Jian-An
JA
Lin
Xian-Fang
XF
Tang
Li-Jiang
LJ
Yu
Wei-Fang
WF
Chen
Han
H
Xie
Xiao-Jie
XJ
Jiang
Jian-Jun
JJ
Peng
Xiao-Hui
XH
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