Authors: Å R Ahlgren H Åstrand G Sundkvist T Länne
Publish Date: 2005/03/04
Volume: 48, Issue: 4, Pages: 780-783
Abstract
We have previously reported that women not men with type 1 diabetes have increased aortic stiffness Increased arterial stiffness may explain why diabetic women have a particularly high risk of developing cardiovascular complications We have now followed up our previously investigated patients after 7 years with a view to evaluating whether the sex difference was persistent and also evaluating the degree of progression with time and the relationship between stiffness versus intima media thickness of the aortaAt followup aortic stiffness was still higher 60 p=00016 in diabetic than in control women whereas there was no similar difference p=04 between diabetic and control men No progression of stiffness had occurred over the 7 years At followup the intima media thickness was increased and the internal diameter of the aorta was decreased in diabetic men and women without any sexrelated differenceThe increased aortic stiffness that affects type 1 diabetic patients seems to be an early event that soon reaches a plateau without any further increase Increased aortic stiffness in type 1 diabetic women seems to be a sexspecific functional disorder unrelated to the degree of underlying atherosclerosisDiabetic patients show an increased risk of cardiovascular complications particularly women patients We have previously shown that women but not men with type 1 diabetes have increased aortic stiffness 1 which may contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular complications among such women The aims of this followup study were 1 to evaluate whether sexrelated differences in aortic stiffness were persistent 7 years after their first examination and 2 to evaluate the relationship between intima media thickness a marker of atherosclerosis and aortic stiffness
Keywords: