title: Association between common carotid artery intima-media thickness and proteinuria in type 2 diabetic patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Proteinuria is the most reliable marker of diabetic nephropathy and an index of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular mortality in diabetic patients. In addition, common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a sensitive marker of early atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between proteinuria and CIMT in type 2 diabetic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study, 154 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled. The CIMT was measured for all of the patients by one researcher. The 24-hour urine protein was measured using trichloroacetic acid method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 154 type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled with a mean diabetes mellitus duration of 8.91 ± 6.99 years (95 women and 55 men). The mean urinary protein in the patients was 294.70 ± 525.85 mg/24 h. The mean CIMT in all of the patients was 0.84 ± 0.19 mm, and it was greater in the men than in the women (P = .03). The CIMT significantly correlated with patients' age (P < .001), systolic blood pressure (P < .001), and urinary protein excretion (P = .001). There was a marginal positive correlation between diabetes mellitus duration and the CIMT (P = .049).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed a significant association between CIMT, as a sensitive marker of macrovascular complication of diabetes mellitus, and proteinuria as an important index of microvascular complication of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran. ali.momenydr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Momeni
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dyani
authors.forename: Morteza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sedehi
authors.forename: Elnaz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D001794:Blood Pressure; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers