Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity as a predictor of long-term cardiovascular events in 2174 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A retrospective cohort study

• Published in: Medicine (Baltimore) Vol. 101; no. 45; p. e31758
• Main Authors: Kim, Hack-Lyoung, Jeon, Won Kyeong, Joh, Hyun Sung, Lim, Woo-Hyun, Seo, Jae-Bin, Kim, Sang-Hyun, Zo, Joo-Hee, Kim, Myung-A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 11.11.2022
• Subjects: Ankle Brachial Index; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Myocardial Infarction - epidemiology; Observational Study; Predictive Value of Tests; Pulse Wave Analysis; Retrospective Studies; Stroke - epidemiology
• ISSN: 1536-5964; 0025-7974; 1536-5964
• DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000031758

The prognostic value of arterial stiffness in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and the occurrence of cardiovascular events in people with DM. A total of 2714 subjects (mean age, 63.6 years; males, 59.3%) with type 2 DM and without documented cardiovascular disease and stroke were analyzed. The primary end-point of this study was composite cardiovascular events of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization and stroke. There were 118 composite events (4.3%) during a median follow-up period of 3.84 years (interquartile range, 1.60–5.52 years). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, higher baPWV (≥1672 cm/s) was associated with composite events even after controlling for potential confounders (hazard ratio [HR], 2.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31–3.07; P  = .001). Compared to the lowest baPWV tertile, both middle (HR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.03–3.27; P =  .037) and the highest (HR, 2.97; 95% CI, 1.69–5.22; P <  .001) tertile of baPWV were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events in the same multivariable model. In conclusion, the baPWV was associated with cardiovascular events in people with type 2 DM. Considering the simplicity and convenience of baPWV measurement, baPWV may be useful for risk stratification of people with type 2 DM.