Abstract
Vascular lesions accompanying diabetes mellitus are closely related to atherosclerosis onset and progression, so we studied the relationship between the cardioankle vascular index (CAVI) and of NT-proBNP and metabolic syndrome and of atherosclerosis risk markers. We divided the diabetic retinopathy of 69 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus into three groups-normal (N), simple retinopathy (S), and proliferative retinopathy (P). The CAVI, a stiffness index, and NT-proBNP, a cardiac function index, increased as retinopathy progressed and NT-proBNP correlated significantly with R-CAVI (r=0.401, p=0.0006) and L-CAVI (r=0.450, p<0.0001). Our results suggest that the increase in CAVI and NT-proBNP in subjects with diabetic retinopathy is a useful index of atherosclerosis progression and cardiovascular function.
