Left Ventricular Hypertrophy is Unrelated to Pulse Wave Velocity in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Objective: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) has been identified as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in diabetic patients. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a noninvasive method for assessing atherosclerosis, and there have been many recent reports on the relationship between PWV and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the association between PWV and LVH in diabetic patients. Patients and Methods: Forty-three outpatients with type 2 diabetes participated in the study. The left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was determined by echocardiography, while the brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) was measured using a recently developed device (ABI/PWV). Results: There was no significant correlation between mean baPWV and LVMI in diabetic patients (r=0.05, 0= 0.756) using univariable analysis. Multiple regression analysis showed that the effect of mean baPWV to LVMI was also not significant, even when controlled by compounding factors, and was shown to be much weaker than the effects of systolic blood pressure (SBP), body mass index (BMI), and nephropathy. Conclusion: Mean baPWV was less of an influence on LVH than BMI, SBP, or diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients. In diabetes, non-haemodynamic factors might play a greater role in the pathogenesis of LVH than haemodymanic factors.