Relationship between flow-mediated dilation and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: To investigate the association between Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD) and the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 194 individuals diagnosed with T2DM. Participants were categorized into two groups based on their UACR levels: the diabetic kidney disease group (DKD) (UACR≥30 mg/g) and the non-diabetic kidney disease group (non-DKD) (UACR <30 mg/g). The relationship between FMD and UACR was evaluated through Spearman correlation analysis and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Additionally, the predictive capacity of FMD for DKD was determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

Results: Median FMD was lower in DKD group than in non-DKD group (3.9 vs 4.9, p = 0.011). Furthermore, a notable negative correlation was observed between FMD and UACR (r = -0.253, p < 0.05). Through logistic regression analysis, an increase in FMD by one standard deviation (SD) corresponded to a 35.6 % decrease in the likelihood of elevated UACR (OR: 0.644 [0.459-0.904]) (Model 1). Consistent findings were noted even after accounting for variables such as sex, age, BMI, hypertension, smoking habits, and alcohol intake (Model 2), as well as HbA1c levels, disease duration, and triglycerides (Model 3). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for FMD was 0.686 (95 % CI 0.596-0.777).

Conclusions: FMD is independently correlated with UACR, which provides a clinical basis for the prevention and control of vascular complications in early DKD.