title: Risk factors of diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis.
abstract: We aimed to stratify the possible risk factors for diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN).
  
  
  
  We did a meta-analysis of risk factors of CAN. We did a web-based search for literature in MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus database and CENTRAL database up to August 2015. We included clinical trials or cohort studies that provide data about relationship between CAN and variables of interest. Our risk factors of interest were age, sex, duration of diabetes, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (sBP) and diastolic blood pressure (dBP), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein (HDL and LDL), triglycerides, retinopathy and nephropathy. We generated Forest plots, χ2test and I2as tests for heterogeneity, risk ratio (RR), mean difference (MD), CIs and p values by ReVMan V.5.3 software.
  
  
  
  We found a total of 882 related items. We excluded 873 studies from the title and abstract and 4 studies after review of full reports. Four studies were included. Our meta-analysis showed significant association between CAN and age (MD=4.94 (3.46 to 6.42)), duration of diabetes (MD=4.51 (2.51 to 6.52)), HbA1c (MD=0.48 (0.28 to 0.67)), BMI (MD=0.55 (0.08 to 1.01)), serum triglycerides (MD=0.09 (0.01 to 0.17)), proliferative retinopathy (RR=3.69 (1.20 to 11.34)), microalbuminuria (RR=2.47 (1.43 to 4.29)), hypertension (RR=4.18 (2.52 to 6.91)) and sBP (MD=4.10 (2.20 to 6.00)). We neither discovered the absence of significant association between the development of CAN and male sex (RR=1.57 (0.45 to 5.39)), dBP (MD=0.89 (-0.36 to 2.14)), cholesterol level (MD=1.19 (-0.99 to 3.36)), LDL (MD=0.12 (-0.15 to 0.39)), nor HDL level (MD=-0.28 (-0.58 to 0.03)).
  
  
  
  Age, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, BMI, serum triglycerides, proliferative retinopathy, microalbuminuria, hypertension and sBP are directly related to the risk of development of diabetic CAN.
authors.affiliation: Soba Center for Audit and Research (SCAR), University of Khartoum , Khartoum , Sudan.
authors.forename: Mohamed D
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4625-2775
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Dafaalla
authors.affiliation: Daoud Research Group, University of Khartoum , Khartoum , Sudan.
authors.forename: Mohammed N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Nimir
authors.affiliation: Daoud Research Group, University of Khartoum , Khartoum , Sudan.
authors.forename: Mosab I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Mohammed
authors.affiliation: Daoud Research Group, University of Khartoum , Khartoum , Sudan.
authors.forename: Omer A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Daoud Research Group , University of Khartoum , Khartoum , Sudan.
authors.forename: Abbashar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hussein
keywords: ARRHYTHMIAS; AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM