Increased arterial stiffness in Europeans and African Caribbeans with type 2 diabetes cannot be accounted for by conventional cardiovascular risk factors.

Background: The impact of diabetes on vascular target organ damage (TOD) is not wholly explained by conventional risk factors. African Caribbeans have a greater prevalence of diabetes and some aspects of TOD. We hypothesized that arterial stiffness, an independent cardiovascular risk factor, would be more prevalent with diabetes and in African Caribbeans with diabetes than Europeans.