Arterial stiffness and vascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes: the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study.
OBJECTIVE
While patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are known to suffer from early cardiovascular disease (CVD), we examined associations between arterial stiffness and diabetic complications in a large patient group with T1D.


METHODS
This study included 807 subjects (622 T1D and 185 healthy volunteers (age 40.6 ± 0.7 versus 41.6 ± 1.2 years; P = NS)). Arterial stiffness was measured by pulse wave analysis from each participant. Furthermore, information on diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and CVD was collected. The renal status was verified from at least two out of three urine collections.


RESULTS
Patients with T1D without signs of diabetic nephropathy had stiffer arteries measured as the augmentation index (AIx) than age-matched control subjects (17.3% ± 0.6% versus 10.0% ± 1.2%; P < 0.001). Moreover, AIx (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.03-1.13; P = 0.002) was associated with diabetic laser-treated retinopathy in patients with normoalbuminuria in a multivariate logistic regression analysis. The same was true for AIx and diabetic nephropathy (1.04 (1.01-1.08); P = 0.004) as well as AIx and CVD (1.06 (1.00-1.12); P = 0.01) in patients with T1D.


CONCLUSIONS
Arterial stiffness was associated with microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients with T1D.
Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Folkhälsan Research Center, Biomedicum Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Daniel
D
Gordin
Johan
J
Wadén
Carol
C
Forsblom
Lena M
LM
Thorn
Milla
M
Rosengård-Bärlund
Outi
O
Heikkilä
Markku
M
Saraheimo
Nina
N
Tolonen
Kustaa
K
Hietala
Aino
A
Soro-Paavonen
Laura
L
Salovaara
Ville-Petteri
VP
Mäkinen
Tomi
T
Peltola
Luciano
L
Bernardi
Per-Henrik
PH
Groop
D000328:Adult; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*