Atherosclerotic Severity and Risk Factors in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Visceral (Metabolic) Obesity in Korea

Nam, Jae Hyun; Park, Suk Won; Ahn, Chul Woo; Song, Young Duk; Lim, Sung Kil; Kim, Kyung Rae; Lee, Hyun Chul; Huh, Kap Bum

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes with hypertension and dyslipidemia are frequently associated with metabolic obesity. It is proposed that such individuals might be characterized by increased insulin resistance and visceral fat, and that macrovascular complications might be more common in these individuals. Thereofer, the aim of this study was to investigate the atherosclerotic severity and risk factors in type 2 diabetic patients with metabolic obesity (MO) in Korea.
METHODS
Coronary artery calcification (CAC) score, intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid artery, and ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) were measured. Insulin sensitivity index (ISI) was also measured by the plasma glucose disappearance rate (kitt: %/min).
RESULTS
1. Among 530 type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, the percent of under-weight (UW), normal-weight (NW), over-weight (OW) and obese (OB) (BMI< 20, 20-25, 25-29.9 and >30, respectively) were 8.9%, 62.1%, 25.1% and 3.9%, respectively. Waist-hip ratio and systolic blood pressure (sBP) were significantly different among the groups according to BMI. Serum triglyceride (TG), HDL-C, free fatty acid (fFA), fibrinogen and fasting c-peptide were significantly different among the groups. The percents of patients with insulin resistance in UW, NW, OW and OB groups were 28%, 60%, 68% and 75%, respectively. The visceral fat area/subcutaneous fat area ratio and visceral fat area/thigh muscle area ratio were significantly increased according to ISI. 2. The patients with MO have above the median values of WHR (0.95 in men and 0.91 in women). sBP, TG, HDL-C, fFA,fibrinogen and ISI were significantly different between the patients with MO and the patients without MO. 3. In OW group as well as NW group, carotid IMT, ABPI and CAC score were significantly different between the patients with MO and the patients without MO. However, these were not different between NW group and OW group.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this study suggest that patients with MO have more advanced atherosclerosis and aggravated risk profiles for atherosclerosis than those without MO, regardless of BMI.