Impact of kidney function and urinary protein excretion on intima-media thickness in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Carotid echo indexes [intima-media thickness (IMT)] are commonly used surrogate markers for cardiovascular disease; however, the impacts of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on changes in IMT are unclear. We examined associations between CKD and IMT in participants with and without type 2 diabetes through longitudinal analysis. METHODS: In total, 424 subjects were enrolled in this study. IMT was measured as per carotid echo indexes. Relationships between IMT and risk factors were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis, in which we defined IMT as the dependent variable and atherosclerosis-related factors (age, sex, systolic pressure, total cholesterol, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), uric acid, smoking index, number of antihypertensive drugs, statin use, urinary protein levels, past cardiovascular event, glycated hemoglobin, and diabetes duration) as independent variables. RESULTS: The study population was composed of 70.3 % male subjects. Participants with diabetes accounted for 64.4 % of the total population. The mean follow-up duration was 2.2 ± 1.5 years. Alterations in IMT tended to be associated with systolic blood pressure (+10 mmHg) (ß = -0.0084, p = 0.09) and eGFR (+10 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) (ß = -0.0049, p = 0.06) in all participants. In participants without diabetes, alterations in IMT were associated with eGFR (+10 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) (ß = -0.0104, p = 0.03) and tended to be associated with systolic blood pressure (+10 mmHg) (ß = 0.0094, p = 0.06). No significant relationships were found in participants with diabetes. CONCLUSION: Low eGFR was associated with progression of carotid thickness independent of common cardiovascular risk factors in non-diabetic participants.

[Circulatory function test for the diagnosis of diabetic complications].

Diabetic patients suffer from systemic complications, which are generally characterized by a lack of early symptoms. In the management of diabetes, early diagnosis of complications and preventing progression are of importance. Vascular complications of diabetes are divided into microvascular and macrovascular complications. Circulatory function tests play a major role in diagnosing the presence and severity of macrovascular complications in clinical settings. In this review, we outlined the significance and precautions of each test in the diagnosis of diabetic macrovascular disease. 1) Echocardiography: Diabetic patients are often associated with ischemic heart disease, and some patients present with diffuse wall motion abnormalities due to multivessel disease. Patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy may have signs of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction with normal systolic function. 2) Carotid ultrasonography: Increase in intima-media thickness is associated with the onset of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Hypoechoic plaque and the thrombus formation have been reported to be closely related with cerebral infarction. 3) Assessment of lower extremity artery: Patients with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing peripheral artery diseases (PAD), which lead to disability. Doppler ultrasonography is widely used for noninvasive diagnosis of PAD. Information of real-time physiological blood flow is useful for disease monitoring. 4) Ankle-brachial index (ABI): ABI is a simple method recommended for screening and evaluating PAD of lower limbs. The limitation of this measurement is that pseudonormalization may occur with severe calcification of artery walls. 5) Pulse wave velocity (PWV), flow-mediated dilatation (FMD): PWV and FMD provide information for the function of blood vessels. Functional changes in peripheral arteries may precede structural changes. In this regard, these tests may play an important role in early diagnosis.

Relationships between kidney dysfunction and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction: a hospital-based retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is a high-risk state for heart failure. Kidney dysfunction is a known risk factor for heart failure, but its association with asymptomatic LVDD is not well-known. METHODS: A hospital-based retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who underwent echocardiogram between 2006 and 2016 to assess the association between baseline kidney function and LVDD on echocardiogram. E/e' ratio was defined as the ratio of peak velocity of early diastolic left ventricular inflow (E) to mitral annular velocity (e'). The primary outcome was time to development of LVDD, which was defined as E/e' ratio > 14. The changes in the E/e' ratio and other echocardiographic parameters were assessed using a mixed effects model. RESULTS: Among 1167 patients, the mean age was 61 years, and the mean baseline E/e' ratio and ejection fraction were 9.6 and 69%, respectively. During a median follow-up of 3.2 years, 231 (19.8%) people developed LVDD. According to eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2), the risk for LVDD based on hazard ratio [95% confidence interval (95% CI)] was 1.20 (0.82, 1.75) for 60 to < 90, 1.42 (0.87, 2.31) for 45 to < 60, and 2.57 (1.61, 4.09) for < 45 (P trend < 0.001). The adjusted risks (95% CI) for annual change in E/e' ratio was 0.09 (0.03, 0.14) overall and 0.28 (0.11, 0.45) in the lowest eGFR group; the trend in changes in annual E/e' ratio by baseline eGFR was significant (P trend = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Relatively low kidney function was related with the risks for LVDD. Long-term cohort studies are warranted to confirm the association between LVDD and symptomatic heart failure in patients with kidney dysfunction.