Correlates of aortic stiffness progression in patients with type 2 diabetes: importance of glycemic control: the Rio de Janeiro type 2 diabetes cohort study.

Objective: The correlates of serial changes in aortic stiffness in patients with diabetes have never been investigated. We aimed to examine the importance of glycemic control on progression/regression of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) in type 2 diabetes.

Methods: In a prospective study, two cf-PWV measurements were performed with the Complior equipment in 417 patients with type 2 diabetes over a mean follow-up of 4.2 years. Clinical laboratory data were obtained at baseline and throughout follow-up. Multivariable linear/logistic regressions assessed the independent correlates of changes in cf-PWV.

Results: Median cf-PWV increase was 0.11 m/s per year (1.1% per year). Overall, 212 patients (51%) increased/persisted with high cf-PWV, while 205 (49%) reduced/persisted with low cf-PWV. Multivariate linear regression demonstrated direct associations between cf-PWV changes and mean HbA1c during follow-up (partial correlation 0.14, P = 0.005). On logistic regression, a mean HbA1c ≥7.5% (58 mmol/mol) was associated with twofold higher odds of having increased/persistently high cf-PWV during follow-up. Furthermore, the rate of HbA1c reduction relative to baseline levels was inversely associated with cf-PWV changes (partial correlation -0.11, P = 0.011) and associated with reduced risk of having increased/persistently high aortic stiffness (odds ratio 0.82 [95% CI 0.69-0.96]; P = 0.017). Other independent correlates of progression in aortic stiffness were increases in systolic blood pressure and heart rate between the two cf-PWV measurements, older age, female sex, and presence of dyslipidemia and retinopathy.

Conclusions: Better glycemic control, together with reductions in blood pressure and heart rate, was the most important correlate to attenuate/prevent progression of aortic stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes.