A Comparative Study Of Arterial Stiffness And Wave Reflections In Diabetic And Non-Diabetic Patients With Ckd

Abstract Background and Aims Arterial stiffness is associated with increased risk for target-organ damage, cardiovascular events and overall mortality in the general population, patients with diabetes mellitus and patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) of all stages. This is the first study to evaluate in comparison arterial stiffness and arterial wave reflections in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with CKD. Method This study included 48 diabetic and 48 non-diabetic adult patients (>18 years) with CKD (eGFR: <90 και ≥15mL/min/1.73m2), matched in a 1:1 ratio for age, sex and eGFR within each CKD stage (2, 3a, 3b and 4). All patients underwent carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), central blood pressure (BP), and wave reflections measurement with applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor, Atcor Medical, Australia). Results Office systolic and diastolic blood pressure was similar between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects with CKD in total and across CKD stages. Office brachial pulse pressure (PP) was significantly lower in non-diabetics (49.00±8.0 vs 52.67±8.7 mmHg, p= 0.034). Office PWV was marginally higher in diabetics compared with non-diabetics (10.89±2.0 vs 10.06±2.2 m/sec, p=0.056). In CKD stages 2 and 4, no significant difference in PWV between the two groups was noted, but PWV was higher for diabetics in CKD stages 3a (11.28±1.4 vs 9.83±1.5 m/sec, p=0.023) and 3b (11.13±1.9 vs 9.46±1.2 m/sec, p=0.016). Heart-rate-adjusted augmentation index [AIx(HR75)] was higher in diabetic compared with non-diabetic subjects only in CKD stage 4 (32.08±4.2 vs 25.92±6.6%, p=0.013). Conclusion Diabetic CKD patients present higher arterial stiffness than non-diabetic counterparts. The additional contribution of diabetes towards increased arterial stiffness is more prominent in patients with moderately impaired renal function (CKD stage 3a and 3b), whereas at stage 4, PWV was increased independent of diabetes presence.