Maternal arterial stiffness in pregnancies complicated by gestational and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to investigate whether maternal arterial stiffness is altered in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 2 diabetes compared to normoglycemic women.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 34 women with GDM and their controls (n = 34), and 34 women with type 2 diabetes and their controls (n = 34). Maternal arterial stiffness was assessed using applanation tonometry.


RESULTS
In patients with GDM, compared to their controls, augmentation index (a measure of arterial wave reflection) was higher (13.1 +/- 8.9% vs 0.7 +/- 11.4%; P < .001) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) (arterial stiffness of the carotid-femoral) was marginally increased (6 +/- 1.5 vs 5.4 +/- 0.6 m/s; P = .07). In type 2 diabetics, compared to their controls, both augmentation index and PWV were increased (11.5 +/- 11.4% vs 3.3 +/- 12.5%; P = .006, and 6.8 +/- 1.2 vs 5.6 +/- 1 m/s; P < .001). When all groups were considered together, there was a significant trend of increasing augmentation index (P = .001) and PWV (P < .001) from controls to those with GDM to type 2 diabetes.


CONCLUSIONS
Pregnancies complicated by GDM and type 2 diabetes are associated with increased maternal arterial stiffness.
Savvidou
Makrina D
MD
Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK. msavvidou@dsla.ndo.co.uk
Anderson
James M
JM
Kaihura
Christine
C
Nicolaides
Kypros H
KH
D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008365:Manometry; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology