Assessment of Carotid Arterial Wall Elasticity in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients with Microalbuminuria by Real-Time Ultrasound Elastography

The aim of this study was to evaluate carotid arterial wall elasticity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with microalbuminuria by real-time ultrasound elastography. Two hundred and ten T2DM patients were divided into two groups according to levels of urinary albumin excretion (UAE): T2DM without microalbuminuria (T2DM1 group, 120) and T2DM with microalbuminuria (T2DM2 group, 90). The right common carotid arteries were examined by real-time ultrasound elastography. The strain ratio (SR, blood to arterial wall strain ratio) was calculated by dividing the strain value of the blood by that of the carotid arterial wall. The correlation between SR and general data was analyzed. The mean SR value ± SD of T2DM2 group was significantly higher than that of T2DM1 group (P < 0.05). SR was positively and significantly correlated with UAE, HbA1c, and systolic blood pressure (r = 0.456,0.435,0.235, P < 0.05 for all). The mean value ± SD of UAE, HbA1c, 2hPG, BMI, and TC of T2DM2 group was significantly higher than that of T2DM1 group (P < 0.05 for all). In conclusion, there is an association between microalbuminuria and carotid arterial wall elasticity in T2DM patients.