Background: Diabetes is a robust risk factor for cardiovascular events which is marked in African Americans for reasons that may be attributed to socioeconomic and biologic vulnerabilities. Both structural (arterial thickening) and functional (arterial stiffness) abnormalities of the vasculature are predictive of incidental clinical events. Study objective was to determine the risk factors and relationship between large artery stiffness and carotid intimal thickness in African Americans with type II diabetes.

Methods: 125 patients with diabetes were recruited from medical clinics. Medical information was obtained via interview and electronic medical record review. Large artery stiffness was assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) using applanation tonometry. Carotid Intimal Medial Thickness (CIMT) was obtained using B-mode ultrasound image analysis of the common carotid artery. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 23.

Results: Mean age 60±8 years, 64% female. 82% hypertension, dyslipidemia 83%, diabetes duration 10.2±7.6 years, Mean HbA1C= 8.1±2.2%. Mean CIMT=0.68±0.15, PWV= 8.6±2.9. There was no significant association between PWV and CIMT. CIMT positively correlated with gender (r=0.302, p=0.001), smoking (r=0.278, p=0.002), creatinine (r=0.260, p=0.006), triglycerides (r=0.279, p=0.002), pooled cohort score (r=0.353, p=0.001), and negatively with HDL (r= -0.196, p=0.031). PWV positively correlated with creatinine (r=0.300, p=0.001), duration of diabetes (r=0.195, p=0.037) and age (β=0.359, p<0.0001) and pooled cohort score (r=0.248, p=0.003). After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, gender (β=-2.000, p=0.019), and age (β=0.119, p=0.018) independently predict PWV but not CIMT.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that PWV and CIMT differ in risk factor profile in African Americans with type II diabetes mellitus. Further studies are needed to clarify mediating factors.

Disclosure

A. Eluwole: None. A.M. Adedayo: None. F. Tedla: None. A. Kremer: None. N. Mastrogiovanni: None. C. Rosenberg: None. P. Dreizen: None. J. LaRosa: None. L. Salciccioli: None. M. Boutjdir: None. M. Banerji: Speaker's Bureau; Self; Merck & Co., Inc.. C. Brown: None. M. Salifu: None. A. Bakillah: None. J. Lazar: None.

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