Relationship between pulse pressure and carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with prehypertension

Objective: To investigate the impact of pulse pressure on carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with prehypertension.Methods: One hundred and ninety-two cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomly divided into prehypertension group and normotension group.The numbers and types of their carotid atheromatous plaques and carotid intima-media thickness were examined by ultrasonography.The blood pressure,fasting blood glucose,fasting insulin and lipid level were detected.Pulse pressure,insulin resistance index and insulin sensitive index were calculated.Results: Systolic blood pressure[(131.62±10.41)mmHg],diastolic blood pressure[(85.68±7.37) mmHg],pulse pressure [(44.36±4.24)mmHg],intima-media thickness[(1.03±0.08)mm] and incidences of carotid atherosclerosis(86.2%) in the prehypertension group were higher than those in the normotension group[(110.87±8.66) mmHg,(72.15±6.29) mmHg],(36.02±3.28) mmHg,(0.90±0.05)mm,56.1%](all P0.05).Statistically significant differences were also observed in insulin sensitive index and insulin resistance index between prehypertension group[(0.83±0.21)、(-3.92±0.54)] and normotension group[(0.97±0.19)、(-3.66±0.68)](P0.01).There was a positive correlation between intima-media thickness with pulse pressure,insulin resistance index.Insulin sensitive index was negatively correlated to intimamedia thichness.Conclusion: Pulse pressure and insulin resistance are closely correlated to carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with prehypertension.