Arterial Stiffness Is Positively Associated With 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Assessed Subclinical Vascular Inflammation in People With Early Type 2 Diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is accompanied by premature atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness. The underlying association remains incompletely understood. The possible relationship between subclinical arterial inflammation assessed by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and arterial stiffness was investigated in patients with early type 2 diabetes.



Patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 44), without cardiovascular disease and any type of antidiabetic medication, were studied (median age 63 years [interquartile range 54-66], men:women 27:17). Arterial inflammation was quantified as the FDG uptake maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax). SUVmax was corrected for the prescan glucose level. A target-to-background ratio (TBR) was calculated by dividing the SUVmax of the arteries by the SUVmean of the caval veins (blood pool). TBRs were calculated for four individual segments (carotid arteries, ascending aorta and aortic arch, descending and abdominal aorta, and iliac and femoral arteries) and averaged for the total aortic tree (meanTBR). Arterial stiffness was assessed as central systolic blood pressure (cSBP), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), and augmentation index (AIx).



The meanTBR was significantly associated with PWV (R = 0.47, P = 0.001) and cSBP (R = 0.45, P = 0.003) but not with AIx. TBR of each separate segment was also significantly associated with PWV and cSBP. In a multiple linear regression model including age, sex, BMI, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), hs-CRP, cholesterol, cSBP, and PWV, PWV was the strongest determinant of meanTBR.



In patients with type 2 diabetes, FDG-PET/CT-imaged subclinical arterial inflammation is positively associated with determinants of arterial stiffness.
Department of Vascular Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands s.a.de.boer@umcg.nl.
Stefanie A
SA
de Boer
Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Meander Medical Center, Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
Marieke C
MC
Hovinga-de Boer
Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Hiddo J L
HJ
Heerspink
Department of Vascular Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Joop D
JD
Lefrandt
Department of Vascular Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Arie M
AM
van Roon
Department of Endocrinology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Helen L
HL
Lutgers
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Andor W J M
AW
Glaudemans
Department of Vascular Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Pieter W
PW
Kamphuisen
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands Department of Biomedical Photoacoustic Imaging, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Riemer H J A
RH
Slart
Department of Vascular Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Douwe J
DJ
Mulder
D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000473:pathology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
D001786:Blood Glucose; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002784:Cholesterol; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents