title: Low Physical Activity Is Associated With Increased Arterial Stiffness in Patients Recently Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes.
abstract: Several studies have indicated that low physical activity is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality among patients with diabetes. The association between physical activity and subclinical cardiovascular changes preceding clinical events remains to be elucidated. We investigated the relationship between physical activity and arterial stiffness, an independent predictor of CVD, in patients with type 2 diabetes and controls.
  
  
  
  We included 100 patients with type 2 diabetes and 100 sex- and age-matched controls in a cross-sectional study. Arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, cfPWV) was measured using the SphygmoCor device (AtCor Medical, Sydney, Australia). Physical activity was assessed by an accelerometer (counts per minute (cpm), Actiheart (CamNtech, Cambridge, UK)) worn by the participants for up to 6 days. High vs. low levels of physical activity was defined according to the median level of activity (cpm = 31).
  
  
  
  Sixty-five patients and 65 controls were included in the final analysis (median age 59 years, 55% men, median diabetes duration 1.9 years). Participants with low physical activity had higher cfPWV compared to participants with high physical activity: (i) Patients and controls combined: 9.3±1.7 m/s vs. 7.8±1.5 m/s, P < 0.001; (ii) Patients with diabetes: 9.5±1.8 m/s vs. 8.3±1.6 m/s, P = 0.02 and C) Controls: 9.0±1.4 m/s vs. 7.7±1.4 m/s, P < 0.01). The difference remained significant after adjustment for other determinants of cfPWV including whole body fat percentage (P < 0.01). No significant interaction between diabetes and the effect of low activity was seen.
  
  
  
  Low physical activity is associated with increased arterial stiffness in patients recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and in healthy controls.
  
  
  
  Trial Number NCT00674271.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine and Medical Research Laboratories, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; klf@clin.au.dk.
authors.forename: Kristian L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Funck
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine and Medical Research Laboratories, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; The Danish Diabetes Academy, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Esben
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laugesen
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine and Medical Research Laboratories, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark;
authors.forename: Pernille
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Høyem
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine and Medical Research Laboratories, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark;
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fleischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine and Medical Research Laboratories, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark;
authors.forename: Simon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Cichosz
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine and Medical Research Laboratories, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark;
authors.forename: Jens S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine and Medical Research Laboratories, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark;
authors.forename: Troels K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine and Medical Research Laboratories, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark;
authors.forename: Per L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Poulsen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
keywords: blood pressure; hypertension; motor activity; pulse wave analysis; type 2 diabetes mellitus; vascular stiffness.