Abstract
BACKGROUND: Obesity and vascular ageing are two facets of type 2 diabetes (T2Ds) to study. The former can be studied by qualitative body fat analysis using bio-electrical impedance (BIA) and later with blood pressure by pulse wave analysis (PWA). We studied the association between BIA and PWA parameters in T2Ds. METHODOLOGY: One hundred and fifty-six T2Ds on treatment were evaluated for BIA (Omron Karada Scan, China) and PWA (IEM, Stolberg, Germany). BIA parameters (weight, BMI, total body fat, visceral fat, subcutaneous fat, skeletal muscle mass) and PWA parameters (arterial stiffness, brachial haemodynamics, aortic blood pressures, central haemodynamics) were studied. Comparison, correlation, risk association, and predictions were done with a p-value < 0.05 as statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean age was 57.7 years, while the mean BMI was 22.8 kg/m2. The prevalence of hypertension was 50%, while the prevalence of glycaemic control was 10%. The correlation between BIA and PWA parameters in >75% instants was weak and insignificant (especially for aortic parameters and central haemodynamics). Female gender, BMI < 22.5 kg/m2, VF< 10, and low/normal TBF were associated with comparatively high PWA parameters, but inconsistently. High BMI or VF did not impose a significant Odds risk of high aortic pulse wave velocity or central pulse pressure. Visceral fat and aortic pulse wave velocities were not significantly predicted by blood pressure, BMI, and heart rate. CONCLUSION: Among rural type 2 diabetics with a mean BMI of 22.8 kg/m2 and poor glycaemic control, there is largely a lack of association between obesity and vascular aging, suggesting differences in time course and pathology of the two entities in type 2 diabetics. Further studies are recommended.