Risk factors for arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes
Keywords:
arterial rigidity; hypertension; type 2 diabetes mellitusAbstract
Introduction: Arterial stiffness is associated with complications of diabetes mellitus.
Objective: To identify risk factors for arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: An analytical case-control study was conducted. The study population consisted of all patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus who attended the Internal Medicine clinic at “Dr. Juan Bruno Zayas Hospital” in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, between January 2023 and July 2024. The study group comprised 219 individuals, of whom 73 (cases) with arterial stiffness and 146 (controls) without arterial stiffness. Odds ratios were calculated as a risk estimator for bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis. The non-parametric chi-square test of independence was applied with a significance level of p ≤ 0.05.
Results: In the multivariate analysis, the main risk factors for arterial stiffness were identified as: hypertension OR = 16.0 [5.08 - 50.5]; hyperlipidemia OR = 9.6 [3.26 - 28.2]; age ≥ 60 years OR = 3.6 [1.3 - 9.9]; and factors related to diabetes mellitus: duration of diabetes greater than five years OR = 5.9 [2.02 - 16.9]; two-hour postprandial hyperglycemia OR = 5.8 [1.9 - 17.6]; and elevated HbA1c OR = 5.4 [2.1 - 14.1], with a statistically significant association.
Conclusions: The identified risk factors for arterial stiffness increase endothelial damage by amplifying vascular metabolic vulnerability.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jorge Manuel Gallego Galano, Elio Zaldívar Alvarez, Rafael Alberto Hernandez Morales, Víctor Samuel Ramírez Barayobre, Maria Eugenia García Céspedes
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