Inverse association between diabetes and aortic dilatation in patients with advanced coronary artery disease

Abstract

Background: A negative association between diabetes and abdominal aortic aneurysm has recently been reported. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between diabetes and aortic diameter, including non-aneurysmal aortic diameter, in patients with advanced coronary artery disease.

Methods: We identified 351 consecutive patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The patients were divided into two groups: those with diabetes mellitus (DM) (DM+ group; n = 180), and those without DM (DM- group; n = 171). Infrarenal and ascending aortic diameters were measured by preoperative computed tomography and corrected for body surface area.

Results: Infrarenal and ascending aortic diameters were significantly shorter in the DM+ group than in the DM- group (21.3 ± 5.0 mm vs. 24.7 ± 9.8 mm, p < 0.001 and 36.0 ± 4.4 mm vs. 37.8 ± 5.5 mm, p = 0.001, respectively). The rates of infrarenal aortic diameter ≥30 mm and ascending aortic diameter ≥40 mm were significantly lower in the DM+ group than in the DM- group (3.5% vs. 13.3%, p = 0.003 and 14.2% vs. 24.1%, p = 0.025, respectively). Multivariate models demonstrated diabetes to be an independent predictor of both infrarenal and ascending aortic diameters even after correction for body surface area.

Conclusion: Our findings indicated an inverse association between diabetes and aortic dilatation of both the infrarenal and ascending aorta in patients with advanced coronary artery disease.

Keywords: Advanced coronary artery disease; Aortic dilatation; Diabetes.