Determinants of the Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity (baPWV) in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) correlates with arterial distensibili ty and stiffness and is a useful method for evaluating the severity of systemic atherosclerosis in adults. Brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) is affected by many different factors such as age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), sex, body mass index, waist to hip ratio, and HbA1c. We evaluated the determinants of baPWV in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: The study included 803 type 2 diabetic patients over age 30 who had their ankle brachial pressure index (ABI) and baPWV measured at Busan St. Mary's Medical Center, Busan, Korea. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, pulse pressure, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c, lipid profile, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and microalbuminuria were checked concurrently. We also investigated tobacco and alcohol use by means of questionnaire. We then retrospectively analyzed the relationships between baPWV and various risk factors. Results: Differences between men and women were measured using the independence sample probate. Pearson correlation analysis confirmed the factors affecting the baPWV as follows: SBP, diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, age, waist circumference, gender, and duration of diabetes mellitus were positively correlated, and height and weight were negatively correlated. On aged-adjusted partial correlation, HbA1c, SBP, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse pressure were correlated. By multiple linear regression analysis, SBP, age, HbA1c, and weight were independent predictors of baPWV. Conclusion: The baPWV is principally affected by SBP and age in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. (J Korean Endocr Soc 23:253~259, 2008)