No correlation between carotid intima-media thickness and long-term glycemic control in individuals with type 1 diabetes.

Dec 11, 2023

Experts: Jussi Inkeri,Valma Harjutsalo,Juha Martola,Jukka Putaala,Per-Henrik Groop,Daniel Gordin,Lena M Thorn,

To determine whether carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), a surrogate marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD), is associated with long-term blood glucose control in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
We recruited 508 individuals (43.4% men; median age 46.1, IQR 37.8-55.9 years) with T1D (median diabetes duration of 30.4, IQR 21.2-40.8 years) in a cross-sectional retrospective sub-study, part of the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA) data were collected retrospectively over the course of ten years (HbA-mean) prior to the clinical study visit that included a clinical examination, biochemical sampling, and ultrasound of the common carotid arteries.
Individuals with T1D had a median CIMT of 606 μm (IQR 538-683 μm) and HbA of 8.0% (7.3-8.8%) during the study visit and HbA-mean of 8.0% (IQR 7.3-8.8%). CIMT did not correlate with HbA (p = 0.228) at visit or HbA-mean (p = 0.063). After controlling for relevant factors in multivariable linear regression analysis, only age was associated with CIMT (p < 0.001). After further dividing CIMT into quartiles, no correlation between long-term glucose control and CIMT (%, 1 8.1 [IQR 7.2-8.9] vs 4 7.9 [7.4-8.7], p = 0.730) was found.
We observed no correlation between long-term blood glucose control and CIMT in individuals with T1D. This finding suggests that the development of early signs of macrovascular atherosclerosis is not strongly affected by the glycemic control in people with T1D.

© 2023. The Author(s).

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ABOUT THE EXPERTS

Jussi Inkeri,Valma Harjutsalo,Juha Martola,Jukka Putaala,Per-Henrik Groop,Daniel Gordin,Lena M Thorn,

Jussi Inkeri

Radiology, HUS Diagnostic Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Folkhälsan Research Center, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63 (C318b), 00014, Helsinki, Finland.

Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research, Helsinki, Finland.

Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Valma Harjutsalo

Folkhälsan Research Center, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63 (C318b), 00014, Helsinki, Finland.

Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Department of Nephrology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Juha Martola

Radiology, HUS Diagnostic Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Jukka Putaala

Neurology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Per-Henrik Groop

Folkhälsan Research Center, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63 (C318b), 00014, Helsinki, Finland. per-henrik.groop@helsinki.fi.

Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. per-henrik.groop@helsinki.fi.

Department of Nephrology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. per-henrik.groop@helsinki.fi.

Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. per-henrik.groop@helsinki.fi.

Daniel Gordin

Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research, Helsinki, Finland.

Department of Nephrology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Lena M Thorn

Folkhälsan Research Center, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63 (C318b), 00014, Helsinki, Finland.

Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.