Effects of deranged glucose homeostasis on peripheral arterial stiffness index in patients with pre-diabetes mellitus

Premature arteriosclerosis may be one of the mechanisms linking pre-diabetes mellitus (pre-DM) and cardiovascular disease. We sought to characterize premature arteriosclerosis in pre-DM using different arterial stiffness indices and to find the independent contributors of this process. We recruited 33 patients without DM, 53 patients with pre-DM, and 34 subjects with DM. Both the compliance index (CI) and stiffness index (SI) were measured. Patients with pre-DM and DM had lower CI (3.8 ± 2.1 versus 5.2 ± 3.0 units; P < 0.05 and 3.6 ± 1.8 versus 5.2 ± 3.0 units; P < 0.05, respectively) and higher SI (8.0 ± 2.0 versus 6.7 ± 1.6 m/s; P < 0.01 and 9.4 ± 2.3 versus 6.7 ± 1.6 m/s; P < 0.001, respectively) than patients without DM. Using multivariate linear regression analysis, age, heart rate, and HOMA index were independent determinants for SI (whole model: R² = 0.47, P < 0.001), whereas male gender, hsCRP, and HOMA index were independent determinants for CI (whole model: R² = 0.34, P < 0.01). The HOMA index was an independent determinant for arterial stiffness. Increased insulin resistance may associate with increased arterial stiffness at peripheral arteries in pre-DM patients.