Abstract
Background
Vulnerable plaque plays crucial role in prognosis of diabetes mellitus (DM). Microwave
radiometry (MWR) allows measurement of the temperature of tissues, thus indirectly
reflecting inflammation, a characteristic of atherosclerotic plaque stability. Aim
of the study was to evaluate the relation of carotid artery inflammation with glycemic
control and presence of coronary artery disease (CAD).
Methods
We included 112 patients (65 ± 9 years, 30 ± 5 kg/m2, 74 DM and 38 non-DM, with a 2:1 ratio) that were referred for scheduled coronary
angiography (CA) for evaluation of their clinical condition. We measured thermal heterogeneity,
expressed as temperature difference (ΔT) along each carotid artery, with MWR and maximum
temperature difference between the 2 carotid arteries (ΔΤmax).
Results
Patients with DM presented higher ΔTmax comparing to patients without DM (0.91 ± 0.29
vs 0.71 ± 0.25 °C, p < 0.001). Glycaemia over time was associated with thermal heterogeneity
of carotids (HbA1c: <6.5: 0.78 ± 0.23, HbA1c: 6.5–7: 0.87 ± 0.24, HbA1c: 7–8: 0.99 ± 0.30, HbA1c: >8: 1.15 ± 0.35 °C, p = 0.003). Patients with CAD presented higher ΔΤmax comparing to
patients with normal CA (0.93 ± 0.24 vs 0.68 ± 0.25 °C, p < 0.001) and patients that
underwent coronary revascularization presented higher ΔTmax (0.95 ± 0.25 vs 0.76 ± 0.26 °C,
p < 0.001). A ΔTmax ≥ 0.9 (received by ROC analysis) was an independent predictor
for revascularization in DM patients (odds ratio 3.29, 95% CI: 1.07–10.16; p = 0.039)
when adjusted for sex, age and the established risk factors of CAD.
Conclusion
Local inflammatory activation of carotid arteries is more pronounced in patients with
DM and is associated with the glycemic control. Carotids' thermal heterogeneity is
associated with need for revascularization supporting its predictive value in DM patients
assessed for CAD.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 29, 2018
Accepted:
March 21,
2018
Received in revised form:
March 10,
2018
Received:
July 9,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
