Jong Suk Park, You Jung Lee, Chul Sik Kim, Hai Jin Kim, Jina Park, Chul Woo Ahn, Kyung Yul Lee, Hyeong Jin Kim, Young Jun Won, Hun Ju Ha, Hae Sun Kwak, Bong Soo Cha, Sung Kil Lim, Kyung Rae Kim, Hyun Chul Lee
Korean Diabetes J. 2006;30(2):96-103. Published online March 1, 2006
BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes and pioglitazone has been reported to have antiatherogenic effect. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pioglitazone affects carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and pulsatility index (PI) in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: A total of 40 type 2 diabetic patients were included and divided into two groups: the pioglitazone-treated group (pioglitazone 15 mg/day with gliclazide 80~320 mg/day for 12 weeks) (n = 20) and control group (gliclazide 80~320 mg/day for 12 weeks) (n = 20). The changes in lipid profile, insulin resistance, IMT, and PI were monitored to determine that pioglitazone improves cerebrovascular blood flow. RESULTS: The pioglitazone treatment significantly increased HDL-C, reduced triglyceride, insulin resistance and PI. IMT tended to decrease but the change was not significant. This study revealed that treatment with pioglitazone was associated with the improvement of cerebrovascular blood flow. CONCLUSIONS: Pioglitazone appears to be effective for the improvement of cerebrovascular blood flow in type 2 diabetic patients
BACKGROUND Chronic complications in type 2 diabetic patients have microvascular and macrovascular components. Previous studies have shown that incidence of macrovascular complications correlates with the serum homocysteine levels, but the relationship is unclear. In addition, the connection between the microvascular complications and the serum homocysteine levels is still obscure and controversial. In this study, the relationship between the serum homocysteine levels and microvascular and macrovascular complications were evaluated in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: In 58 type 2 diabetic patients, the serum homocysteine levels, folic acid levels, Vit B12 levels, PAI-1 levels, the standard risk factors for macrovascular complications, the fasting serum glucose levels, the HbA1C levels, and the fasting insulin and C-peptide concentrations, the renal function tests, and the carotid intima-media thickness were measured and the relationship between them and the serum homocysteine level was analyzed according to the presence and absence of macrovascular and microvascular complications. RESULTS: 1) In type 2 diabetic patients, the mean serum homocysteine level was 9.9+/-.2 mol/L. The serum homocysteine level showed no relationship with the clinical and biochemical variables including the risk factors for atherosclerosis except the serum creatinine and creatinine clearance. 2) The maximum, minimum, and mean of the intima- media thickness of right carotid artery were 4.00+/-.20, 0.50+/-.04, 1.04+/-.62 mm, of left carotid artery were 3.54+/-.00, 0.31+/-.02, 1.03+/-.55 mm, and means were 3.77+/-.10, 0.44+/-.03, 1.03+/-.54 mm, and correlated with the serum homocysteine leve l (p=0.03), but only the serum LDL cholesterol level independently correlated with the intima-media thickness (p=0.04). 3) The serum homocysteine level (p=0.01) and intima-media thickness (p<0.01) was significantly higher in type 2 diabetic patients with macrovascular complications than without it. 4) The serum homocysteine level did not correlate with the incidence microvascular complications, but the intima-media thickness did correlate with diabetic nephropathy (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The serum homocysteine level did not correlated with the incidence of diabetic microvascular complications. However, there was a small correlation with the risk factors of macrovascular complications. The intima- media thickness correlated with the incidence of macrovascular complications, and the relationship with diabetic nephropathy requires further study.
Yu Bae Ahn, So Lyung Jung, Seung Hyun Ko, Ki Ho Song, Hyun Shik Son, Kun Ho Yoon, Moo Il Kang, Bong Yun Cha, Kwang Woo Lee, Ho Young Son, Sung Koo Kang
Korean Diabetes J. 2001;25(2):142-151. Published online April 1, 2001
BACKGROUND Diabetes mellitus is a major independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. In recent years non-invasive high resolution B-mode ultrasound methods have been developed to measure the IMT (intima-media thickness) of the carotid artery as an index for early atherosclerosis. The aims of this study were to measure IMT in type 2 diabetic patients, to investigate the relation of various cardiovascular risk factors to IMT, and to evaluate the difference in IMT according to presence of diabetic complication. METHODS: IMT was measured by ultrasound B-mode imaging in 300 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (131 male, 169 female adults aged 53.4+/-9.5 years, duration of diabetes 7.4+/-6.3 years). All subjects underwent coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors assessment and the presence of diabetic complications were evaluated. RESULT: There were positive correlations between IMT and age, duration of diabetes, LDL-C, systolic blood pressure and Lp (a) level. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that in type 2 diabetic patients, the variables that interact independently with IMT were age, systolic blood pressure, levels of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and sex. IMT was significantly increased in type 2 diabetic patients with macrovascular complication regardless of presence of microvascular complication. But there was no significant difference in IMT according to Lp (a) level, presence of microalbuminuria, mode of treatment and glycemic control. CONCLUSION: The Intima-Media thickness of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with age, systolic blood pressure, levels of total cholesterol, HDL-C and sex.