Objective: Diabetes is associated with increased brachial and central blood pressure and aortic stiffness. We examined the effect of intensive multifactorial treatment in general practice on indices of peripheral and central hemodynamics among patients with screen-detected diabetes.
Research design and methods: As part of a population-based screening and intervention study in general practice, 1,533 Danes aged 40-69 years were clinically diagnosed with screen-detected diabetes. General practitioners were randomized to provide intensive multifactorial treatment or routine care. After a mean follow-up of 6.2 years, an unselected subsample of 456 patients underwent central hemodynamic assessments by applanation tonometry. Central pressure was derived from the radial pulse wave. Aortic stiffness was assessed as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (aPWV). The intervention effect on each index of central hemodynamics was analyzed by mixed-effects models adjusted for heart rate, cluster randomization, age, and sex.
Results: At screening, median age was 59.2 years (interquartile range 55.2-64.6); 289 patients (63%) were in the intensive treatment group, and 278 patients (61%) were men. Patients in the intensive treatment group had a 0.51 m/s (95% CI -0.96 to -0.05, P = 0.03) lower aPWV compared with routine care. Respective differences for central augmentation index (-0.84% [-2.54 to 0.86]), pulse pressure (0.28 mmHg [-1.75 to 2.32]), and systolic (-1.42 mmHg [-4.47 to 1.64]) and diastolic (-1.79 mmHg [-3.72 to 0.14]) blood pressure were not statistically significant.
Conclusions: Intensive multifactorial treatment of screen-detected diabetes during 6 years in general practice has a significant impact on aortic stiffness, whereas the effects on other hemodynamic measures are smaller and not statistically significant.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00237549.