Increased arterial stiffness is closely associated with hyperglycemia and improved by glycemic control in diabetic patients.

Aims/introduction: Although arteriosclerotic diseases have been reported to be frequently complicated by diabetes mellitus (DM), a detailed relationship between hyperglycemia and arterial stiffness has not been fully clarified. We investigated the influence of hyperglycemia on arterial stiffness using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), which is a new method for estimating arterial stiffness.

Materials And Methods: CAVI values of 52 early-staged DM patients (duration <5 years, no microangiopathies) were compared with those of 43 age-matched non-diabetic (NDM) subjects.

Cardio-ankle vascular index measures arterial wall stiffness independent of blood pressure.

Although brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a non-invasive method of detecting arteriosclerosis, it is affected by changes in blood pressure (BP). Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a new method for estimating arteriosclerosis, and it has been reported to be less influenced by BP. We investigated the influence of BP changes on CAVI and the correlation of CAVI to clinical factors and carotid arteriosclerosis.