Association between albuminuria, carotid atherosclerosis, arterial stiffness, and peripheral arterial disease in Korean type 2 diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the association between albuminuria, carotid atherosclerosis, arterial stiffness, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in Korean type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: In total, 673 type 2 diabetic patients registered with the public health center participated. Following an overnight fast, venous blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed. The carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), amount of carotid plaque, brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and the ankle-brachial index of each patient were also assessed. RESULTS: Albuminuria was significantly associated with PAD (odds ratio (OR) 2.33; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28-4.25 for normoalbuminuria vs. microalbuminuria and OR 3.28; 95% CI 1.40-7.66 for normoalbuminuria vs. macroalbuminuria), but not with carotid plaque. The mean baPWV differed significantly according to the level of albumin relative to the creatinine ratio (1,764.79, 1,778.98, and 2,001.33, respectively; p < 0.001), while no significant difference was observed in the mean IMT value (0.73, 0.74, and 0.72, respectively; p = 0.399). CONCLUSIONS: Albuminuria was significantly associated with baPWV and PAD, but not with carotid plaque or CCA-IMT, in Korean type 2 diabetic patients.