Arterial stiffness and vascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes: The Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study

Introduction/aims. While patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are known to suffer from early cardiovascular disease (CVD), we examined associations between arterial stiffness and diabetic complications in a large patient group with T1D. Methods. This study included 807 subjects (622 T1D and 185 healthy volunteers (age 40.6 +/- 0.7 versus 41.6 +/- 1.2 years; P = NS)). Arterial stiffness was measured by pulse wave analysis from each participant. Furthermore, information on diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and CVD was collected. The renal status was verified from at least two out of three urine collections. Results. Patients with T1D without signs of diabetic nephropathy had stiffer arteries measured as the augmentation index (AIx) than age-matched control subjects (17.3% +/- 0.6% versus 10.0% +/- 1.2%; P < 0.001). Moreover, AIx (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.03-1.13; P = 0.002) was associated with diabetic laser-treated retinopathy in patients with normoalbuminuria in a multivariate logistic regression analysis. The same was true for AIx and diabetic nephropathy (1.04 (1.01-1.08); P = 0.004) as well as AIx and CVD (1.06 (1.00-1.12); P = 0.01) in patients with T1D. Conclusions. Arterial stiffness was associated with microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients with T1D.