Diabetic Microvascular Complications Strongly Linked to LVH in T2DM: Study
Researchers have reported that diabetic microvascular complications have significantly increased the risk of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. LVH is a common pathological change found in the heart of diabetic individuals, and poor cardiovascular outcomes have been associated with this condition. A recent study was conducted by Simo Liu and colleagues which was published in the Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications. The study aimed to examine the relationship between diabetic microvascular complications and LVH in patients with T2DM and evaluate the cumulative effect of multiple complications on the risk of LVH.
This cross-sectional analysis was based on 2912 T2DM patients, which included 360 with LVH and 2552 without LVH. It gathered information from demographic characteristics, medical history, laboratory indices, diabetic microvascular complications, and cardiac ultrasonography. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to ascertain independent effects of the number of microvascular complications on the probability of LVH in addition to adjustment for age and body mass index.
Key Findings
Demographics and Physical Measurements:
• The patients with LVH were older and had a higher BMI, waist circumference, and hip circumference compared to those without LVH.
Prevalence of Microvascular Complications:
• The prevalence of DR and DKD was significantly higher in patients with LVH than in those without LVH.
Association with LVH:
• After adjusting for confounding factors, DR increased the odds of LVH by 35.1% (OR = 1.351), and DKD increased the odds by 40.4% (OR = 1.404).
Cumulative Risk:
• The risk of LVH was increased progressively with the number of microvascular complications in the patients. The risk was greater in patients who had two or more complications compared to those with one.
Subgroup Analysis:
• In male T2DM patients, the risk of LVH increased steeply with the number of microvascular conditions.
The presence of diabetic microvascular complications, particularly DR and DKD, was strongly related to LVH in patients with T2DM. A gradual increase in the number of microvascular conditions associated with the risk for LVH, which is also higher in male patients, is noticed. Such observations are essential because microvascular complications can reduce the burden of cardiovascular events in patients with T2DM.
Reference:
Liu, S., Ke, J., Feng, X., Xu, Y., Zhu, L., Yang, L., & Zhao, D. (2024). Diabetic microvascular complications are associated with left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications, 108947, 108947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2024.108947
