Blood glucose excursion on carotid atherosclerosis in elderly type 2 diabetic patients

Objective To investigate the association between blood glucose excursion and carotid atherosclerosis in elderly type 2 diabetic patients.Methods Blood glucose levels were monitored with a continuous glucose monitoring system(CGMS) for 3 days in 123 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.The carotid intimate media thickness(IMT) was observed by Doppler ultrasonography and patients were divided into two groups;group A without carotid lesions and group B with carotid lesions.The mean fasting blood glucose(MFBG),mean postprandial blood glucose(MPBG),mean blood glucose(MBG),standard deviation of blood glucose(SDBG),mean amplitude of glycemic excursion(MAGE),largest amplitude of glycemic excursion(LAGE) time of low blood glucose (3.9 mmol/L) were examined and blood pressure(BP),serum lipids,HbA1c were also measured. Results The duration of diabetes,blood pressure(BP),low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c)and HbA1c in group B were higher than those in group A.The MAGE,SD,LAGE,MPBG and time of low glucose in group B were significantly increased compared to group A(P 0.01). Conclusion Carotid atherosclerosis was not only associated with blood pressure,blood glucose, serum lipid profile and HbA1c;but also closely correlated with the range of blood glucose excursion in elderly type 2 diabetic patients.Patients with a larger range of blood glucose excursion have higher risks for developing chronic complications.